Forsaken
by Commander Sun
Summary: Destiny is not always what it seems. Darkness cannot live without light, but can light really live without the darkness? SquallxCloud; RikuxSora
1. Fates Collide

Title: Forsaken  
Author: Emily Anderson  
Rating: R; Strong Language, Sexual Interaction, Male x Male Relations  
Game: Kingdom Hearts  
Brief Summery: Destiny is not always what it seems. Darkness cannot live without light, but can light really live without the darkness? [Yaoi… Squall (Leon) and Cloud; Riku and Sora]  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Kingdom Hearts. It's all Squaresoft and Disney! They are the ones who own these characters… not me. So please… don't sue me for this pleasure I have taken in writing fic.  
Feedback: Oh, yes, please! R/R all the way! I love Review! And you could e-mail me at darknightcompanion@hotmail.com if you really want to for some reason.  
  
Pre-note: Sorry Sora and Riku don't show up at all in this first Chapter! I just wanted to get something written for my friend Karo-chan. I asked what she wanted for Christmas and she wanted a Squall and Cloud fic, so, here it is. I just wanted to add in Sora and Riku 'cause I think they are wonderful. Lol. Hope you enjoy!  
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Chapter 1  
Fates Collide  
  
  
The lonely wielder of a gun blade walked smoothly along as if the world could not faze him anymore. Truth be told… everything affected him. He wanted to protect everything and yet it seemed that all he tried to protect would be lost. He did love, once, but she was gone now. Dead. Like almost everyone else in the world he once knew and cared about. He had become more callous and cold since she died, even changing his name to Leon. Not that he much liked the name… it was just… Squall brought up some painful memories that burned his mind.  
  
Even if he only wanted to live in the past others around him wouldn't let him and kept him stuck in his miserable present. He didn't know how to live, but his body just wouldn't let him die. It was like his subconscious was almost, well, masochistic and his body took it like the sadist it was. He had to find something to keep himself busy so he wouldn't end up losing himself to his heart and mind. Anything would do. Anything at all.  
  
A fight. Well, not really a fight, but a tournament. That's why he was here today. It was an odd world he was on, but he wouldn't say a thing about it, not wanting to insult anyone. He peered up at the soft blue sky with the blazing sun shining down on them with a disgruntled look on his face. Of course, it had to be this damn hot on the day they were to fight. Seemed like nature didn't like to smile down on his fights at all. Then again, it could be just that it was always hot and disgusting on this cruddy little planet. Well, no matter, it just strengthened him for his next fight when nature was cruel on his body.  
  
It wasn't like he minded being here today, but he didn't understand why that annoying pest Yuffie had to tag along. He hadn't been to warm to girls since his first love died and yet now he lived with, not one, but two girls. It seemed like a twisted fate of irony he would be forced to live in. It seemed like he ended up in places and situations he didn't want to be happening to him, but he would never complain because he just wasn't that talkative about his problems. Oh course, the fact that he wasn't talkative about anything at all was just a minor detail in the scheme of things.  
  
As he was trapped in this reverie of the past he bumped into some poor, random victim of his daydreaming state. "Sorry," he grumbled out because it was probably his fault. The man who received the apology just gave a slight grunt and started to walk away in a stealthy pace, causing his cape to make a crack in the wind. Squall didn't catch much, but he did catch enough to piece together who this form was. The blonde hair, the deep blue eyes, that dark look… His clothes were different, but it could only be Cloud. The Cloud he knew as a child.  
  
It seemed all his misery from when Rinoa died was suddenly washed away and replaced with a certain familiar one of being a child. His memories of playing with this blonde in the streets flooded his mind and made him ache with nostalgia. It was a time of innocence and a time even before Rinoa hardly graced his mind. It was a time were nothing but living for fun mattered. He yearned just to break down and hug the other man with sobs, but that wasn't in his nature so he merely had a falter in his cold gaze, but only for a moment before he brought back up his solid defense.  
  
Quick enough he felt a body glomp on his back and latch on for its dear life. "Wake up daydreamer!" the annoying voice chirped. This obnoxious sound made the stern man grit his teeth. "If you don't stop staring at that gorgeous man's figure I'd start to think you would swing that way," she teased with a giggle, as she talked rather loud into his ear.  
  
"I'm not STARING I'm just trying to figure out if it someone I knew," he said with a growl to his voice. One of his eyebrows twitched slightly and his figure became more tight and stern. He tried to shrug the girl off, but it seemed that she had a death grip on him.  
  
"Oh? You mean Cloud? Sure you know him! Childhood chums!" she said with a laugh and hugged him deeper. He knew this annoyed the cold man and just wanted to make sure to keep it up.   
  
Squall merely nodded to this, taking it in with a thought. It had been such a long time since he'd seen the other man. He wasn't sure if it'd be appropriate to go over and say hello like nothing ever happened. "Oh… and Yuffie? Let go," he said in a threatening tone. He felt, though, that the girl wouldn't let him go because it was in her nature to annoy him.  
She squeezed harder to his back and shook her head. "Nuh uh! I'm never letting my Leon-kins go!" she said with a slightly evil cackle. "Wanna go over and say hey to him? I'm sure he's been lonely since he seems to have been alone since everything started to go wrong," she said with a slightly serious tone.  
  
He glanced slightly over at her with an odd, but emotionless look on his face. "You think we should?" he asked trying to pull of an uninterested tone. "I mean, he probably won't even remember me," he said hoping his words were truly false.  
  
"Who could forget the coldest man on earth!" she said as she finally hopped off of his back. "Oops, I lied. I will let you go," she commented as she winked and playfully stuck a pose which included one foot kicked up behind her, her head cocked slightly to the side, one hand to her side, one to her cheek and her tongue slightly peeking out of her mouth.   
  
With that Squall gave an unpleasant look and started to walk away, and not toward Cloud. 'Come on! Don't be such a soil sport!" she said as she grabbed his hand and started to drag him toward Cloud. "Cloud-chan!" she yelled out, almost mocking him for a time that happened ever so long ago. She loved to tease the man when she could about the dressing up as a female bit he had to do.  
  
The cloaked figure paused and groaned to himself as he heard a female voice choir through the crowd calling out his name. It wasn't that it was a female voice that bothered him; it was the certain female that called out his name that bothered him. He decided to act like he was merely pausing to take a look at one of the… erm… flames there. That's it. He was just a pyromaniac at heart is all? As soon as it seemed he was only stopping to examine the fire he continued on his seemingly oblivious way through the large masses of people until he stumbled over a foot. "What the—" he yelled as he turned and then groaned as he saw a short, black haired female.  
  
"You can't escape from me that easily! And you know… it helps that I've known you for so long… I know you don't take that much interest in fire. You're just being a dork and trying to ignore me," he said with a pout. She crossed her arms and made a 'hmph,' sound and looked away.  
  
"Well, then… if you seem to mad at me… I'll be leaving," he said and turned quickly away in hopes that she wouldn't pursue. Even with these false hopes he knew oh-too-well how persistent Yuffie could be.  
  
"Uh, uh, Cloud-chan!" she yelled out and grabbed his arm, dragging him back to their little spot. "You aren't getting away that easily! Not after acting like a pyro just to run away from me," she commented as she let him go. She nudged Squall lightly and smirked. "Come on, say something! Don't be so shy," she said in her usual perky tone, just to piss Squall off even more.  
  
"I'm not shy, damn it…" he said with a low and threatening growl to his voice. He shot a bit of a glare over at the girl and then looked up at Cloud with his blank face. It seemed like so much had changed in the other man, but it still seemed like he could reach out and touch his childhood. "He…" he began to greet Cloud when he was cut off all of the sudden by Yuffie.  
  
"Oh yeah! Cloud-chan! Aerith is all right. I'm sure she'd love to see you again. She really does miss you, you know," she gossiped the truth for once. It seemed girls liked to stretch the truth, but this wasn't stretched in the bit. It might even be underplayed.  
  
With these words that came from Yuffie's mouth, Squall stomach sank. He wasn't sure as to why he had this deep and sinking feeling inside, but it seemed like his soul was crushed and his heart was torn. "I'm getting ready for the tournament… You two have fun and chat. My gun blade is a bit dull," he said in an even more cold of a tone than he had held all day. Before either of them could stop him, he walked away from the scene of the crime.  
  
Soon enough he had found a quiet area of the Coliseum, secluded, dark. He wanted to be alone to brood in his loneliness. He dragged his gun blade to the side and rested it next to his leg. Okay, so he lied about his gun blade being dull. It was rather sharp, really. He sighed and lay down on the concrete and sandy steps he had found to rest by. It seemed like it was high noon and the sun glared down so hard on his body. This warmth he felt, even warmer than the light of his heart, seemed to put him to sleep.  
  
**********  
  
Yuffie sighed rather loud as Squall stomped away. "There's no helping that guy. He just won't let himself get over it. It's like he thinks it's his entire fault. The thing that guy needs is to get laid," she said as she rolled her eyes. Her arms hooked behind her head, showing off some trying to show off some bust. It wasn't that she was showing off to Cloud only, this place had some other fine men wandering around.  
  
"And what am I supposed to do about it? And wait… what happened? What are you talking about?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes on her with a confused look. Sure he wasn't a man of any words, normally, but when he was one and one he could be rather vocal for information. And information was exactly what he was to get.  
  
"You mean you didn't hear? No… you wouldn't have! Rinoa and Squall… they were together, you know? Well… Rinoa ended up dying when all this stuff happened. It's a sad tail, but true. Now that man won't let himself be called anything but Leon. We humor him and call him that to quick his grumbling," she said in an annoyed tone. "Oh! And what you can do! Heh. I know how much you protested being with the ladies and how much you did fancy Vincent… So, why not try and crack Squall! He'd be a fun one!" she piped up in a perky tone.  
  
A snarl could be seen across Cloud's face when she mentioned a certain vampire. "Why do you have to bring things like that up? I killed him. Can't you understand that? It haunts me every moment of my life," he commented with a threatening hiss to his tone.  
  
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you swing that way… Jeez… don't over react, Cloud-chan," she told him as she waved his hand to try and cool him off a bit. She didn't want a pissed off man trying to seduce the cold one. It wouldn't be a good formula of things all in all. "Now come on… I know you have to be lonely! Just… at least talk to him. It won't hurt just to go and try to cheer him up, okay?" she pleaded with him. She wanted to get Squall in a better mood, though he was fun to piss off with being annoying. Even so, she wanted him happier and not such a grump.  
  
"Agh… fine. Just to get you off of my back," he said with a grumble and almost a growl to his tone. He turned and caused his cape to hit the girl in the legs and before he could actually walk away she pounced on the cape.  
  
"Grr! This thing hurts when you crack it against my leg! I'm taking it off!" she cried out and started to tug on it. This was fun. She liked to annoy the hot men. Although she wouldn't mind having one for herself she knew Cloud didn't have much interest in her and Squall was… well Squall. She thought the only way that man might have another relationship was if someone who could kick his ass entered the picture.  
  
Cloud twitched a bit at the girl's new action. "Will you just let me go already!" he yelled at her with blue eyes glaring down. His anger seemed to layer him with a strange aura and a rather threatening one at that.  
  
Yuffie stuck out her tongue at him before standing up and smirking. "You need to relax a bit more," she scolded with a playful tone. She waved her hand at him. "Now shoo. Go on and make him cheer up or something," she said as she turned from him and started to waltz over to the place to sign up. She had agreed with Squall well before hand that she would be the one to take care of the paperwork or whatever while he did whatever he wanted.  
  
The man merely grunted and started to walk off to where he had seen Squall stomp off. Though, when he arrived he found the man fast asleep. He would wait until the man woke up… or until some time passed. Whichever would happen first he was uncertain. Now all he had were his thoughts and a lot of time to think.  
  
**********  
  
A gentle prodding at his side stirred him from his dreamless sleep. He found that he was covered in a thin layer of sweat and the sun was now slightly hidden by the tall walls. He groaned and rolled away from the person who was poking at him, he didn't want to acknowledge this person's existence, considering it was probably Yuffie to come and bother him. It wasn't like he was expecting to be able to fight until well later into the day since there was so much that had to be resolved with the fights first.  
  
Cloud merely rolled his eyes and frowned as he walked up the steps and then proceeded to push Squall down them. He crossed his arms and glared down at the confused and tumbling boy. His eyes narrowed on the figure and he coughed. "That's what you get for ignoring me…" he said with a grumpy tone. He walked down a step or two and sat down, picking up Squall's gun blade with ease.  
  
Even though Squall had earlier thought he could hug this man… no, not now. He wanted to attack him, but really, he couldn't. Cloud has his gun blade. Cloud also had his huge ass sword. Cloud had nice things called materia, which was his magic. Basically if he tried to fight Cloud at this point… he might as well kiss his sorry ass good bye. "Just go away… I was trying to sleep…" he said with a grumbled as he stood and patted himself down to get some dust off.  
  
Cloud snorted lightly and shook his head. "Stop whining. I thought you were a man…" he grumbled out. All he received in return was an ungrateful grunt. "Hey, just because you lost someone close doesn't give you the right to be Mr. Angst. Everyone loses people they love. Deal with it. I didn't take my time to come and talk to a sniveling boy," he said as he stood up, setting Squall's blade back down. "Since you're acting this way, I am going."  
  
As Cloud began to walk off he glanced at Squall and noticed his guilt-ridden figure. He wouldn't let himself break just because of the way the man looked. He wasn't that soft. The other one would have to come back to him and apologize. He had done nothing wrong and deserved some sort of make up for what he had gotten as a reaction.  
  
"Agh… don't go, Cloud. Sorry… just… don't go," he reluctantly admitted he was at fault here. He never liked to admit he was wrong. Then again, most men won't unless it was life threatening. Something about the male ego seemed to keep him from admitting he was wrong for the high majority of the time. He had a feeling, though, if he didn't admit his wrong doing that Cloud would leave and never talk to him again. A little hurt pride could be taken.  
  
"Fine… So… what have you been doing, Squall?" he asked as he turned and walked over to the steps, seating himself and setting down his large blade. He saw the visible wince of Squall's and raised and eyebrow. "Did I… say something wrong?" he asked in minor confusion.  
  
"Eh… heh… I just haven't been really called that name for a long while. Not since Rinoa died, really…" he said with a bit of dismay hinted in his tone. He walked over to the golden looking steps and seated himself, placing his elbows on his knees and his head between his hands. He let out a well-held sigh as if he had been holding it for years.  
  
Cloud merely sighed to this and shook his head. "Sorry to hear about that, but yes, I know about your loss of Rinoa. I won't call you 'Leon,' though. Your name is Squall and I'm calling you that no matter how much pain it brings. Pain just acquires strength for the one who receives the hardship. So, suck it up," he said as he ran his fingers over the blade handle. "You're the one who is still living… so live."  
  
Squall merely shook his head to this. "No. I've tried to live before, but it just doesn't work. Living for me is to protect… and anything I seem to protect dies," he said in a slightly depressed tone and closed his eyes. "And you sure seem real sympathetic to my case…"  
  
"What? Am I supposed to be? I don't think so. It's not in my nature. And you know… if you need someone to protect to live… find someone who is strong and isn't going to die," he said with a smirk and leaned back, placing his arms behind his head. "And stop moping. My love died by my own possessed hands. I wasn't in full control of myself and his blood tainted my soul. I wear what I do now to keep a constant reminder of him," he said in a chilled tone. His voice was as cold and icy as a deep and dark ocean.  
  
Squall sighed and hung his head. "I know we all have hardships… It just seems like nothing right happens in my life," he said as he leaned back on the step and closed his eyes. "Guess I should just live, though. It isn't worth it being like this all the time, I guess," he stated in slight thought about what Cloud had said. "Oh, and I'm sorry to hear about Vincent. I heard about him before from the girls… Aerith seemed to avoid the subject," he informed Cloud with a softened tone. "She'd love to see you again."  
  
At this Cloud just groaned. "She doesn't know what's good for her. That girl likes to get trouble to play with her. I think what she needs to do is realize I'm not the man for her and she should just move on."  
  
"She's not a fool, you know. She knows you don't want any relationship with her… She just wants to see you…" he responded to Cloud. He proceeded to let out a calm sigh. "You should just give her at least that pleasure."  
  
"I guess… I just don't want her clinging to me again."  
  
"I can understand that," Squall retorted calmly. He opened his eyes and looked at Cloud with a smirk. "I vow to find someone to protect within a week's time and make sure they're strong if you will promise to at least see Aerith. Can we make that a deal?" he asked as he sat up with a hint of a smirk on his lips.  
  
"Heh, yeah. We can make it a deal," the blonde man agreed with a nod. Slowly he stood up and extended his hand. "I wish you the best of luck, Squall. Your heart is strong and so is your will. The person will be a lucky one who gets you as your guardian. And best of luck in the tournament."  
  
Squall stood up and took the other man's hand in his own and smiled. "Yeah, good luck to you, too. I'll see you after the tournament. We can take you to Traverse Town with us."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Okay… so this is my first attempt at a game fic… I hope it isn't too bad. If people like it enough… I'll write more… if no one likes it… I'll trash it. ^_^; And I promise if people like and leave reviews I WILL update this unlike my X-file and Harry Potter fic. (which I might update some day for my own reasons.) 


	2. Locked Heart

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. I know I don't own them. ;_; Why do you have to be so cruel and make me admit I don't? Can't you let a girl have her fantasies? -.-;  
  
A/N: Okay! So here is the next Chapter… Heh. I hope you don't mind it. I wrote it at random spurts and freakish times. *looks at clock* Ah… so it is 1am when I am writing this a/n… what's that you say? I have school in 6 hours? What? I didn't hear you… come closer… *smacks* Teach you for telling me what I should be doing. *grumble grumble* Anyone else telling me I should be ready for school and sleeping? *cracks knuckles* Anyway… Hope you enjoy this! Thanks for what reviews I have! Helped my muse a bit! D And enter Sora! And Riku…? Well, at least you get to see Donald and Goofy! XD *falls over laughing at the torture*  
  
Oh, and yes… you might notice from now on I am following the order of events basically. Though, I decided to have Deep Jungle before Coliseum and such, but I probably will have most things remaining the same, just with different dialog and different side plots and the likes. Hope that doesn't make anyone made! Heh…  
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Chapter 2  
Locked Heart  
  
  
Sora closed his eyes and sighed as he locked the keyhole to the Deep Jungle. The bright colors faded from the walls and it seemed dark and cold all of the sudden. He shivered from the mist of the water hitting the back of his neck. It wasn't just that that made him shiver, but it also felt like he was being watched. One of his eyes opened and he looked from it in suspicion. He only caught a wisp of something, but it was gone all to quickly.  
  
After enough time had passed he opened both of his eyes, revealing their tender blue that reflected his soul to the fullest extent. He let his eyes shift over each person who was standing there, well, duck, dog and person. The crowd he had begun to run with was a certainly strange lot. It was a unique situation he would not place upon another person because of the pain he had to suffer through.  
  
"Well, let's head to the coliseum now… The tournament should be about ready to start," he said as he looked at his two partners. When he saw their nod of agreement he gave a thankful nod to the ape-man and began leading his group back to the gummi ship. It was a long travel, but simple. It seemed there were less enemies then before, since the planet was locked now.  
  
Locked… it all seemed like locking things made everything distant. Well, that's what it did, but he had no choice other than this. Soon, the worlds would be locked totally from one another and he would be once again trapped on the world he grew up on. It almost seemed like people themselves were being locked into themselves from this whole situation… so… maybe getting everyone separated was a good idea.  
  
If he sealed the worlds he was sure to see Riku again. The boy would return as well, right? Oh, did he hope this was the truth. He didn't want to never see this other boy again. Well, true he caught glimpses and he had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he would see the boy again… but not like how it used to be between them. It would be a terrible thing when they finally met again. He just knew it somewhere in his heart.  
  
"Gee, Sora. Maybe you'll find your friends at this tournament?" Goofy asked in his strange tone he took about everything. Even when he was serious he would sound like he was fooling around. It wasn't his fault that his maker decided to have him be exactly as his name stated: Goofy. He wasn't that bad of a being, really. He did come out to protect a friend in need. He was a nice companion. He guessed it was true what they say about a dog being a man's best friend. Loyal and caring, it was nice.  
  
The boy couldn't help but let out a lilting laugh at this. "Yeah, sure. I bet…" he said in a bit of a disappointed tone. He wasn't really sure that that would happen at all. Lately he had felt more of a sense of being watched. It was creepy, really. He hoped he would be able to face the person who was obsessively stalking him.  
  
Once he reached the gummi ship he let himself glance around the surroundings a bit more before ducking inside. His partners, Goofy and Donald, quickly followed him. This would be such a fun and exciting ride. Not. It wasn't like the three of them had much in common to talk about. Sora was just a boy looking for his friends who was chosen to lead this fate. Goofy was easily amused and strange, but not too much for a conversationalist. And Donald… well… he was a duck.  
  
Goofy looked at the moping kid and wanted to cheer him up. He didn't know how, though, since he wasn't an expert at cheering people up unless it was acting like a fool. "Err… Sora! Tell us about your friends your looking for!" Goofy said in an excited tone.  
  
"We don't need to hear about them! Our mission is to find the kind and to help the keyblade holder seal the worlds," Donald scolded Goofy. It wasn't that he didn't want to hear, it was just that he felt pressuring Sora into thinking about his friends might not be such a great idea. I mean it would cause anybody pain thinking about the friends they'd lost. He knew it well with having lost the king.  
  
"No, Donald… It's okay, really," Sora spoke in a soft tone. He gave a bit of a smile as he thought of his friends. Thinking about them and speaking fondly was easier than just brooding about them. "Heh, so you want to know about them, Goofy?" he asked the faithful dog who gave an enthusiastic nod to this.  
  
Sora pondered for a moment about how to describe each of his friends he was searching so dearly for. "Kairi, well… She's the type of girl you're parents would love to see you bring home. She's sweet, caring, and innocent… And she's cute," he said with a sigh. He did have a childhood crush on her, but he knew that was as far as it extended. He didn't want to be the one to bring her home to his family because he wasn't that interested in her. He knew, though, if he remained on the island like before he would have ended up just being the one to hitch up with Kairi in time. He didn't want that, even if he knew the girl adored him.  
  
"Gee, Sora… it kind of sounds like you might have a crush on her," Goofy said with a dopey tone. He smiled an innocent smile at Sora and didn't know better. With these words a blush crossed over the boy's face and he looked down.  
  
"It really isn't a crush. Well… a crush. Nothing more… Believe me!" he said with slight scorn from his blushing. He placed his hand on his face trying to cover his blush. He really didn't like these reddened cheeks, they were too warm and they made him feel a bit lightheaded.  
  
"Aw, I didn't mean no harm," Goofy apologized in a quiet tone. He knew he was forgiven when Sora waved his hand and shook his head, though. He didn't mean to embarrass the boy or anything, it just came out. "Now how about that other friend of yours? Riku, was it?" the dog insisted on changing to the other friend.  
  
"Yes, Riku…" the boy reminisced with a sigh. "We've always been the best of friends. Growing up on an island with not much to do can have that affect on a person. He and I would always have sword fights with wooden blades and would have races around the island. It seemed that he started to act really strange when Kairi came, though. He withdrew more into himself and become more distant from even me," the boy commented with a frown. He pressed his eyes closed and could just imagine the blue-haired boy with that grin on his face.  
  
Goofy blinked a few times from these words and gave the human a kind and compassionate smile. "Golly, Sora. I'm sorry to hear that. I really hope things can be better when you see him again," he suggested with a calm and caring voice. Even with this calm and sincere meaning, his voice did still have its silly side and couldn't be taken to its fullest affect.  
  
"Thanks, Goofy…" Sora commented in a lower voice then before. He looked at the animal with a soft smile on his face now, appreciating the kind words that he had received.  
  
"You're friend sounds like he needs to learn some respect and emotions!" Donald said in his rasped voice. He wasn't one to be too sensitive to anyone's needs but his own and the king's. Well, not even the king when that mouse was around.  
  
Goofy got a bit wide eyed and Sora seemed to form a glare toward the duck. He seemed to start wanting to be a big-time carnivore at this moment for some reason… He didn't know why… Not at all…  
  
"Gawrsh, Donald! You don't have to be so mean about it," Goofy said trying to break the tension. He knew it wasn't a good thing when one person insulted another's friends. There have been some deadly fights that have broken out from them. He wanted to keep this gummi ship at peace, at least… until the end of their mission. Afterward the two could tell each one to go to hell for all that mattered, but for now they had to cooperate.   
  
Sora just shot one last lingering look at Donald and then faintly nodded at Goofy. "Thanks, but it doesn't matter, really… Let's just stay silent until we get to the coliseum…" he commanded more than suggested. With that, he just looked off to the side, enjoying the tense silence for some odd reason.  
  
**********  
Riku picked up one of the innocent jars lying around and threw it against the wall in rage. He hissed as some of the pieces flew back and cut his cheek. His eyes narrowed and he kicked some of the pieces to the side as he stomped toward where Maleficent resided. Anyone in his way quickly moved to the side, knowing full well that they didn't want to mess with the dark witch's new pet… err… with the boy.  
  
"When the hell can I have my full powers?" Riku demanded of the evil woman. It wasn't that he cared what sides people were on anymore… he just wanted to bring Kairi back from this heartless state and he wanted to torture Sore's mind.  
  
The wicked woman walked over toward the angered boy and placed her hand on his injured cheek. "My dear boy, you must learn a little patience. You cannot have everything at an instant's notices. Time…" she said in a cold and eerie voice. He words lingered in the air for a few moments before the dropped away. She slowly moved her hand from his cheek and now revealed a fully healed cheek.  
  
From the dark lord's action Riku couldn't help but snort a bit and turn away. Don't touch me again, wench," he said in disgust. He still didn't trust her at all, but he had no one else to turn to. He was alone in this cold world and she was offering him the one thing he wanted. "I only cooperate because we have mutual trade. Nothing more," he stated bitterly.  
  
"Ah, yes, child. Though, we are only having this mutual trade… I suggest you learn to respect me more. I could crush your soul in an instant and find someone to replace you just as easily. I just wanted to help you," she commented with a slightly threatening tone. It isn't like she really wanted to destroy him; it was just that he had to learn how to obey her better.  
  
Riku just shrugged her words off and walked away. He was really getting annoyed with her. Maybe something would happen and he would end up trusting her more than Sora, but right now he couldn't trust either even in the least. Sora had abandoned him for those two others. A duck and a dog, was he really that much lower than those animals? It made him even angrier just thinking about this.  
  
"You will pay for leaving me, Sora. You'll see all too well… You should have never acquired those two… friends," he snapped out in the cold air. The last word he had said in an even deeper tone of scorn and hate than the others.  
  
Without much thought, the boy found himself standing outside on a glorious balcony. He blinked at the view and sighed, hanging his head. He was alone now. He didn't have to be strong. No one could see him now. It was too hard to be weak in the presence of others. He wouldn't dare such a thing. With a moping look Riku hung his legs over the edge and looked down toward the seemingly endless area of sky. He was alone. Now and forever… it was rather depressing to think about, really.  
  
"Are they really better than me?" Riku asked as if he were once again a child. His tone was almost like he was a little boy who was lost in the woods and felt he would never be found. He still had so much growing up to do… he was such a kid. Soon enough, he found himself sniffling back tears that threatened and whipped the tears away from his eyes with the back of his arm.  
  
The lost boy bit down on his lower lip, trying to hold back the pain. He didn't like this. He felt like he was the weakest being in all these worlds. He felt lost and destroyed. It made him feel so inferior and despised. It made him want to hate Sora even more, but he just couldn't hate him. Sora was his only touchstone in his life… his only friend… even if he was abandoned by his friend.  
  
At these thoughts, Riku's face hardened. He stood up slowly and walked back to the area where Maleficent was. His stride was more regale and superior now. He wouldn't let it be known how low and worthless he really felt. Once he reached the doors to the woman's hiding place he pushed them open without a moment's hesitation. "I will be the one to kill the keyblade holder."  
  
These words set the boy's fate for certain. He had just turned his back on Sora as the brown-haired boy had done to him. It was a fair trade off. It made sense. They were always trying to better the other when they were growing up and now it turned into one of life or death. In time, he would have Sora right where he wanted him… right where he could crush him.  
  
**********  
  
Sora was the first one to bail out of the gummi ship and stumbled over his own big feet. Once he was steadied he looked around the coliseum with a strange look. This was certainly a strange place. And it was so… empty. If there was a tournament going on… shouldn't there be a lot of people around? Well, maybe they were all inside or something. That must be it. Well, only one way to find out.  
  
Without much thought Sora began to lead his group toward the opening he saw straight ahead. He entered and saw a strange being. Very strange… He didn't even know what the hell the thing was! It was a man… no… it was a goat… no… what the hell? He was just about to question the thing when it began to talk to him.  
  
"What are you three chumps doin' here?" it asked in a slightly slang and off tone. Its voice sounded almost nasal, but it wasn't that overly annoying nasal. It tried to make itself look as tough and tall as it could… which didn't work too well.  
  
The human boy looked down on the half man, half animal with a raised eyebrow. "Umm… we're here to fight in the tournament, actually. Could you tell us where we are supposed to go?" Sora asked in a softer voice than he meant to. It wasn't that he was afraid or anything, he just wasn't sure where he was or what he was doing.  
  
"You're late. You know that? Hero's are never late. So, obviously you aren't any sort of hero… so scram, kid," he said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms and hooves. His eyes traveled over Sora and took him in with much disdain.  
  
"Come on! That isn't fair… I was doing something important. Can't you just let me in?" he asked with a minor whine to his tone.  
  
"What's your name, kid?" the satyr asked graciously. He took in the figures of Sora's partners now. A duck. What the heck? Who takes a duck for a partner in fighting? And a dog… Sure they were loyal and wouldn't backstab you, but what can a dog do? Roll over? Play dead? Gee… what a thrilling group.  
  
The boy seemed to perk up when he was asked his name. "I'm Sora!" he said with excitement and stuck out his hand. A silly grin placed itself on his face as he stood there. "Oh, and this is Donald and Goofy," he added on with enthusiasm, almost forgetting the whole… incident before.  
  
"Sora? Well… let me tell you something, Sora. If you don't leave quickly, I'm going to have to get a true hero to come here and escort you out, care of Phil. Unless, you want to try and see if you can make it? Why not…?" the goat-man said as he pointed to a large stone. "Try and push that, kid."  
  
Doing as he was commanded to, Sora walked over to the stone and tried to push on it. He leaned his full weight on it and closed his eyes. A small groaning escaped from his lips as he tried to push. This thing was impossible to move!  
  
"As I told ya, kid. You aren't made for the big hero work," he said as he gave a grin that made a person just want to smack him. Trying to think of a way to outsmart this freak of nature was going to be hard, but maybe if Sora could…  
  
"Hey! Why don't you try and push it, huh?" the boy asked with a confident smile on his face. "If you can't move it, you have to let us in," he said with a proud tone and a puffing up of his chest. He knew there was no chance that the goat-thing could move it.  
  
The goat-man looked at Sora with a raised eyebrow and snorted a bit. "Sure. Just wanting to see how strong I am…" he said as he walked to the large, stone block. He leaned up against it and started to push with all his might; he even started to run with his little legs while pushing. After much effort and work he slumped against it, panting. "Alright… you can take the trials," Phil said with much protest.  
  
Sora jumped up with delight and grinned at Donald and Goofy. "But only one of you can enter, kid. And I'm guessing it'll be you," the satyr stated as he walked into the arena area. He looked around and pressed something on the wall and it seemed to generate barrels on the ground of the fighting area. "I'll time you. Break them all… starting… now," he said without much warning. It isn't like he wanted this boy to get in.  
  
The young human ran quickly and took out all of the barrels, just breaking the time limit he was set on. With that task done he didn't have much time to think when he was set to breaking another group of barrels in another amount of time. When he finished this task he thought there would be more, but he saw the disgruntled and disappointed look on the man/animal's face. "So, I can get in now?"  
  
Phil didn't say anything, but gave Sora the power of Thunder. "No, kid. You still have work to do. You're not ready to be a true hero, yet. Now go on and train some more and come back when you are stronger," he said as he walked past the boy and into the lobby of the coliseum.  
  
**********  
  
Defeated and sad, Sora left the lobby of the coliseum. Though, upon entering the open space out there he saw an unfamiliar face and figure. He looked over the blue skinned man and cocked his head to the side a bit.  
  
"Kid, you wanted to enter the tournament, didn't you? That stubborn goat not lettin' you in?" the tall man spoke out smoothly. He looked almost evil, but the boy wouldn't pass judgment on this creature unless he was forced to fight.  
  
Sora merely nodded to this and moped about it. He really did want to be in the tournament, it would have been really fun.  
  
"Hey, don't look so down! Come on… how would this make you feel?" he asked as he snapped his fingers and a blue flame made a Hero's Pass appear in between two of his blue fingers. He held it out to Sora with a soft smile. His yellow eyes seemed to catch something mischievous for a moment, but passed quickly.  
  
With this simple piece of paper Sora's mood hit a high for the day. He reached out and took the piece of paper in his hand and smiled wide. "Thank you so much!" he said with glee as he ran back to the satyr. He hoped the thanks he gave was enough for the blue skinned man.  
  
Hade just stood and watched him run away. "This should be fun…" he said with a lower voice and a flair of his blue, flaming hair.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Heh… Sorry this chapter really wasn't humorous! I promise I will get back the funnies! I tried to get in some humor, but Riku was just being so… dark! Heh… So, yeah… I have a feeling this fic will switch off from angst to humor… So, hope you don't mind much! I'm *trying* to make this a good fic! 


	3. Can They Do That?

Disclaimer:   
Riku: Save me! Please! Sue the girl! I'm being manipul… *muffling nose*  
Heh. Just ignore him. ^_^ He's evil, you know? So, he's just trying to 'cause trouble.  
Sora: May I remind you, though… you don't own us.  
Ah… yes. -.-; I don't own them at all! So don't kill me and string me out to dry! Thanks! ^_^;;  
  
A/N: Wee! Another Chapter! Don't kill me if you don't like it anymore. XD Just… humor me! Okay? *puppy eyes* I'll be good any try to amuse you at least! Okay? Don't string me out, yet… Hmm… string me out. XD Used that twice already in the pre-chapter… beware! *coughs* Anyway… enough stalling, ne? Oh, and I apologize XD The beginning of this chappy is cheap 'cause… yeah. O.o; Don't kill! XD Anyway… I hope it gets better… And I do promise in the future (sometime…) that there will be shounen-ai… and prolly even yaoi-ness! *gasp* So, lol, keep reading! (and yes… I have most of the Cloud/Squall hook up scene written… just… it comes later… Aww…)  
  
_______________  
Chapter 3  
Can They Do That?  
  
  
Sora ran up to the disgruntled satyr and smiled wide at him. The small beast looked at the kid with vague annoyance. Without speaking the goat-man waved his hand to shoo the kid along and not be in the way of all the people who were fighting right now. He turned away and glanced at his list, really trying ignoring the boy. Soon enough, though, he realized he wouldn't leave and turned to him with a 'what?' type of look.  
  
With a giddy giggle the excited boy held out the Hero Pass that he had received from Hades. His smile was one of the biggest he had ever had. Finally he had a chance in this tournament. He saw the goat-man get very upset, but he knew well that he couldn't be denied now that he had this. "Great… now I have to let ya in…" he muttered and pouted.   
  
He let Sora into the first round of bad guys, which, he defeated rather well. The half ling was shocked at the boy even beating the proud blond man Cloud. He just started for a little while, but shook his head and took on his 'I don't care…' look.   
  
Since the youthful group had completed their first round and won… he sent them on to the next. After defeating all the enemies, they waited for the last one of that second set of matches. The young brown-haired boy got wide eyed when he saw whom he was to fight. Two people, actually. "Oh shi…"  
  
"Uh… watch your mouth! There are kiddies viewing this…" Squall cut off and sweatdropped. He couldn't believe he had actually said that and rolled his eyes. There wasn't a single person in the crowd… so why did he say that? Well, maybe he was thinking Sora shouldn't be saying things like that as was? Yeah, that must have been it.  
  
"Heh… I think it's a little late for that. I mean, I did say you deserved to get laid and I kind of used the word ass already," Yuffie commented a bit meek. She glanced around innocently, acting like she didn't mention the part of a certain someone getting laid.  
  
"Yes, well, he shouldn't… wait… you said what?!" he cut himself off and his eyes snapped to Yuffie. His cold glare seemed to reach a new level of being frigid and he hoped he could kill the girl with a look. He wanted her dead. Now. Though, he couldn't right this moment since they had a fight of which they needed to take care.  
  
"Heh… Well, you know… things happen," the black haired girl, said with innocence hinted in her voice. She laughed a little bit and smiled over at him with a 'you can't hurt me, I'm cute,' type of look.  
  
"Oh, you are so dead after this…" Squall growled out and then looked at Sora. "Anyway… shall we have our fight now?" he asked trying to shrug off what Yuffie had said. Ah, this just couldn't get any better in his life, now could they?  
  
Anyway, the three 'in-training' heroes fought against the dark looking man and the peppy little girl. With a great deal of effort and use of a lot of potions and heal techniques, Sora, Donald and Goofy managed to come out on top. They had won the two sets of fights and could be on their way back to Traverse Town to restock and the likes. They had agreed to meet up with the perky little girl and the gruff older man. Squall said there would be another person that they would need to meet that would be coming along.  
  
**********  
  
As the young boy stepped outside of the large coliseum, he felt those watchful eyes on him again. He felt a shiver up the back of his neck and stood completely still, trying to figure out where those haunting eyes from where being directed.  
  
While the young boy was trying to figure this out, the owner of these eyes stood on top of the wall of the gate to the large stadium. His cold, blue eyes watched so closely to this boy. A strange shaped blade rested in his hands. As he looked on to this boy with his friends he felt this painful hatred burning inside of his body. He wanted to kill them. He wanted them all dead, even his once friend.  
  
"I will not let you live, Sora," he whispered in a low voice. His words carried on the wind and turned to faint and echoing threats as they reached Sora's ears. It was a cruel and echoing noise that hissed and burned in this boy's mind.  
  
"Riku…" the boy moaned out as he placed his hands on his ears as if he were trying to block out this abhorred feeling. The only hint of an escape was to break down, but he just couldn't. Not here. Not now. He would never show any true weakness in front of these two animals because he didn't want to seem inferior.  
  
The silver haired boy caught glance at the movement of lips and felt scorn. He couldn't believe he had seen Sora mouth his name, but it almost made him want to feel more hate for some unknown reason. There was something inside of him, almost driving him mad. He wasn't to be taken over by the darkness. He never would fall to it. He was so much stronger than the boy or girl could ever be. They were so weak.  
  
Just as he knew the boy was to look up there he disappeared. He wouldn't let his old friend see him again. Leaving behind only the traces of wind he escaped from the torture of those kind and gentle blue eyes for which he once cared.  
  
On the ground, Sora had caught a hold of himself and looked up to the gate walls. He got a glimpse of the left over mist that Riku had left behind from transporting. He knew it had to be his friend, but why would the other boy be stalking him like this and not actually talk to him? It really hurt to know this, but maybe he would be able to speak with his friend again. In time… it might be possible. If he kept hope, it would be true. It couldn't be a lie that he would see his friend again. His heart would never lie to him.  
  
Reluctantly he headed toward the gummi ship, ignoring all the questions and concern from his two partners. They didn't really care about him, just the keyblade. They were only after finding their precious king and nothing else. People stuck in the groups they formed and he would always be with Riku and Kairi… even if he were never able to see the two again. At least Donald and Goofy had each other to turn to for friendship. He, on the other hand, would remain trapped and alone.  
  
**********  
  
In silence they arrived back at Traverse Town. They first headed to the shop that was owned by Donald's three nephews. They bought the supplies they needed for their future trip and paid for it all. They made short greeting with the three, but decided to head toward the small house they wished to reach.  
  
Sora walked out as the lead, but seemed to hold himself not as high as a proud hero should. That's because he wasn't actually a proud hero. He didn't even feel like he was a hero at all. He was just doing his duty, which didn't really mean he cared about the path he took. Right now, he would give up all the worlds… just to see his friends again. That's how alone and desperate he felt. Who wouldn't in his same position?  
  
A quiet sigh escaped from his lips as he arrived at the destined house. He stood there for a moment before he was nudged by Donald to knock or something. His hand slowly rose and he wrapped it against the door. The sound that was produced almost seemed foreign to his ears and he didn't know why, exactly. It was rather odd.  
  
Only a few moments passed and the cold and dark haired man opened the door. He let the three so-called heroes inside the house and shut the door after them. The room now seemed smaller, holding seven people, instead of the old number of three. Their permanent residency number had grown to four. Luckily the three other numbers in the room were merely guests.  
  
Passing a confused look as to why this blond hair man was in the room, Sora just kept staring at Squall. The gruff man just shook his head, thinking it didn't need to be explained at that exact moment and that everything would be known soon enough.  
  
"I supposed this town had a keyhole, then, too?" Aerith asked meekly in her docile voice. She had a calm attitude about her, but certainly it could be told that she was not her normal self. Something was affecting her, and it didn't seem positive. Well, it seemed both good and bad at the same time. Sora guessed it had something to do with this blond haired stranger.  
  
Goofy grinned wide, being the acting totally dense all the time. He really wasn't that dumb, he just didn't like pain or sadness and tried to make up for it with his silly nature. "Well, gee, you know Sora! If there's a keyhole, he'll be able to find it! I'm sure of it," he spoke out positively about the uncertain boy.  
  
Sora merely gave a small laugh and smile. "Yeah, I guess I can," he said feeling put on the spot. "I'm going to walk outside for a minute…" he said as he looked around the room. He saw the vaguely concerned look on Squall's face and smiled a bit. "I'll be fine. I have the keyblade to protect me and I've been worse enemies than they have here while taking a walk," he assured the group. They reluctantly let him go.  
  
Once outside, Sora felt a chill course through his body. It was a strange, but welcomed chill. It almost seemed… familiar. No, it was familiar. It was Riku's burningly cold stare. The brown haired child looked around and felt a strange, yet sinking feeling. "Riku…!" he broke out with a cracked voice. He didn't mean to, but his voice had faltered when he cried out his friend's name.  
  
Deciding that it was time for him to finally make an appearance with his friend he dropped from the roof and landed a few feet from him. He had landed on one knee and his head was hung down. Slowly his head raised and his chilling, blue eyes pierced into Sora's soul, making the boy gasp slightly from the pain that struck his heart.  
  
Riku stood up and walked over to Sora, walking around him in almost a patronizing manner. He slyly smiled as his friend as he circled on his friend. His eyes examined him in almost disdain. "My, how we have changed, huh?" he asked as he poked at his friend's shoulder. He looked down at the keyblade. "So, this is what everyone is making such a fuss over? It doesn't look that great…" he said as he snorted and kicked it slightly.  
  
"My blade, on the other hand… is much more desirable," he said as he held out his hand and his blade appeared. It looked like a black wing with red webbing. It had a green gem close to the small handle. He looked it over and smirked. "Darkness is truly beautiful, Sora. No light can exist without it," he said as he ran his finger alone the edge of his strange blade.  
  
Sora gaped at Riku for a few moments before shaking his head a bit. "What's happened to you, Riku? Why…?" he asked in a bit of a strangled voice. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You never would have turned your back on your friends… what happened to you, Riku?" he asked in a pained voice.  
  
"Tch, you're one to talk, Sora," he bit out and narrowed his eyes at his once best friend. He drew around him and cornered him against a wall. As he raised his hands to the wall, his blade disappeared so he could place both hands on each side of Sora's shoulders. He frowned deeply. "I didn't abandon you for some damn duck and dog. Just because they'll come to you when you say 'heel,' doesn't mean they're better than me," he spat out.  
  
Raising a confused eyebrow at Riku, Sora cocked his head to the side a bit. "What do you mean by that, Riku?" he asked in a chilled voice. He felt cold to the bone from every move, every glance, and every word from Riku. It hurt him to see his friend like this and now he felt at shame as if he had done something so wrong to make his friend hate him so. The problem was… the brown haired boy knew nothing of how his friend might feel betrayed by Donald and Goofy, which made his feel even worse.  
  
Riku frowned at this and slapped Sora across the face with the back of his hand. "Baka…" he mumbled as he turned his back on his friend. He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked up to the sky. "Meet me in the green room in oh… say a half an hour. Or you'll never see that stupid girl again," he said as he faded quickly away, not letting Sora protest at all. It was either this meeting or the girl's life. He had a feeling what Sora would chose.  
  
**********  
  
Sora dreaded finding out what was in store for him in the green room of the hotel. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out in a threaded manner. He slowly walked back into the small house and smiled weakly at the faces. They all looked at him. They all had the same look, concern and fear. The looks almost made him angry and made him want to yell.  
  
Walking over to him slowly, Aerith bent over to his height, treating him like a scared child. "I want to let you know… this all is such a heavy weight for such a young person such as yourself to hold and if you need my help, any of our help, just ask for it," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Sora was just not in the mood to be treated like a little and helpless child at the moment and just grimaced at her words.  
  
"I'll be fine," mumbled as he pushed past her. He placed his keyblade on the table and looked at it in thought. "I'm going to be meeting with Riku at the hotel. I'll probably be there a long time. Don't come for me. Don't look for me," he stated in a sharp and strict tone. He gripped more tightly on the keyblade and closed his eyes. "Another one of my friends is at risk and I don't want you to get in the way," he said as he turned and started to walk away.  
  
Squall grabbed his shoulder and looked at him with a slightly worried look on his face. "What if something happens to you?" he asked out in a shallow tone. He didn't want it to seem like he cared about Sora as a person, but as the keyblade master.  
  
"Then, I guess someone else will become the master of the keyblade and you'll just have to find them," he stated as he shook Squall's hand off of his shoulder and left without giving them a chance to respond to all of this.  
  
The room felt awfully silent from all of this and heads seemed to droop down. "I don't like this…" Aerith whispered out with a slight whine to her voice. She held her hands on her chest and whimpered a bit in fear. She was so afraid that something would harm Sora. She didn't know him really, but she had this affection for him. Maybe it was that he was so young and had such a bad fate on his shoulders. She didn't know what it was.  
  
The blond haired man grumbled and stood up, walking to the window to look out of it. "Like any of us really do?" he snapped at her without much enthusiasm. He didn't mean his tone to be so harsh toward her, but he just had a lot of stress and seeing her again brought up some things in his memory that he would just rather not deal with ever.  
  
  
Aerith winced at Cloud's harsh tone and just nodded lightly as she walked over to the bed and sat down on it, lowering her head in sadness. She closed her eyes and placed her hands together as if she was in prayer. She was always in prayer, though. She just prayed everyone would get through this day safely and be able to fight on and survive to the next. Peace was all she desired, other than Cloud.  
  
With this small exchange of words the house fell into a dead silence again, each afraid to say something to set off a spark that was built up from tension. Looks were passed from one another rarely, but a few had enough connection to know what another was saying through them. It just felt like the room's atmosphere had tripled. It would remain this way for some time.  
  
********  
  
Looking up to the dark sky, Sora felt a warm feeling rush over his body. The sky was beautiful. He could see distant hints of planets and the bright and glittering stars in the sky. To think there was such a conflict going on in all these worlds and yet everything almost looked like it was at full peace. Maybe darkness wasn't such a bad thing, but then… the stars wouldn't shine and light up the night sky.   
  
Darkness needed life as light needed darkness. It was a painful, but true thing in life. Life begets death as death begets life. It was a circle. One could not exist without the other. They fed off of one another and just kept consuming each, hitting the innocent in the process. This was no longer a fight of good and evil, it was a fight of innocence and corruption. Strange how such a corrupt being could fight for such a pure cause.  
  
  
Sora knew he could not put off his fate of meeting with Riku again any longer, as it would kill the life of a friend. He walked with a tense posture and a proud stance. He would not enter this fight with a weak conscious and soul, or so he thought. He was much more weak then he had known. He thought he could stand against anything, but how wrong he was. Riku would show this young boy how much a corrupt innocence would suffer from one who was already lost in the darkness.  
  
It was now the beginning of the end, and the end of the beginning.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Sorry this took a while to get done. I have been under a lot of stress and things have not been working out for the best in my life, but I am getting through it all now. So, yeah, sorry! I'll try to get working on my fourth chapter soon, but no promises. Things in my life always seem to be strange (that and I need to write chapter one of another fic…) but at least I got this done!!! 


	4. Black Light

Disclaimer: Well… you know the kick… I own them all… and if you take claim of them… you die. O_o; Wait…. ;_; I don't own them… u.u That's right… Dem you!!!! .; *coughs* Anywho… yeah… dun sue, yadda…  
  
A/N: Sorry… I was trying to get my DBZ fic updated before this… but… I got stuck. So, here I am typing away and stuff… and sorry it took so long. *sighs* I have just been in a random slump lately. Heh… but here… is the next chappy and the likes. Hopefully not too long after I write this that it'll be posted. XD  
  
_________  
Chapter 4  
Black Light  
  
As Sora placed hand on the door of the hotel to open it, there was a soft flash of light in the distance and a low roll of thunder came about a minute later. He sighed and pressed the door open with closed eye. He shuddered slightly as he heard a click of the door. He was locked in and he knew it. He knew he wouldn't be leaving unless Riku permitted it. He just hoped it was to keep the villains out, but then he knew he was trapped inside with a villain, a friend.  
  
All sounds seemed to fade into a soft humming or a gentle thud. As his feet moved to touch the floor with his next step it seemed to take so much longer. Time was slowing for him. It was a pivotal moment in his life and he dreaded it. It seemed all he could hear now was his own heart, which felt like it was beating in his throat. He swallowed hard as he reached the doomed door.  
  
His fingers touched the cold door handle and he shivered from its ice-cold feeling. "Riku…" he whispered out and swore he could see his own breath. He turned the handle and pushed the door open, entering the barren room. He had been in it before, but it seemed so distant and foreign to him now. It made him feel disjointed and strange.  
  
He sighed and pushed into the door and felt like he had fallen into a dark abyss with how black it was inside. It was almost like… the darkness was unnatural, cruel… forbidding. His hand clutched his chest as he felt the black stroking over his cheek. He gasped for breath and started to double over as he felt like he was being consumed.  
  
Riku stood from the bed and jerked his hand in the air, pulling some of the darkness away. He watched as the brown haired boy dropped to the floor in pain. He smirked softly and walked over to Sora. Kneeling down he placed his fingers under the boy's chin. "Hmm… Such a sad sight… light being devoured by the darkness. Pathetic, really…" he murmured as he squatted down by Sora.  
  
As sky met ocean, eyes met eyes. Those deep blues collided against one another and there was a bitter frost built in the air, but also a burning fire. Both of the boys shivered and looked away, desiring more of this look, but too afraid to know what it might entail.  
  
"I'm sorry, Riku…" he whispered out as he curled in on himself and snuggled to his knees. He closed his eyes and sighed. His whole body shivered as if it were cold and scared. He never felt this vulnerable in his life and this was not the time he wished it to be. "Please… don't hurt Kairi, though. She has nothing to do with this… if you want to kill me for… whatever it is I did to you… I'll take it."  
  
The silver haired boy stood up and snorted as if he were disgruntled from what he heard. "You disgust me, Sora. You were never this weak. You never gave up. If this is how you act now… I'm sorry to have even been called your friend at one point. Get up," he commanded in a harsh voice as he glared down at the frail looking boy.  
  
Reluctantly, but obediently, Sora stood up and held his head hung down. He refused to look at Riku from these words that had betrayed his heart. He swallowed hard as he felt Riku's breath on his skin and froze with those gloved hands pushing his chin up. He didn't want to meet those blue eyes again. He felt so damn weak at those times. Once again, though… he was trapped. Trapped in those eyes.  
  
Letting go of his chin, Riku narrowed his eyes a little and cocked his head to the side a little, almost in a curious manner. "What are you sorry for, Sora? And… why are you so afraid? Are you really that afraid to see me again?" he asked in an almost hurt tone. He shook his head and walked to the window, which was throbbing with black energy. "Don't answer those questions. Well, not now… You can some other time we meet, but not now."  
  
Sora didn't know what Riku was saying and just drew toward him. The other boy held up a hand, signaling him to not come any nearer. "The darkness is too powerful over here. I'm just becoming knowledgeable about my powers and they keep the darkness to keep me almost… in check," he said as he shook his head. He dipped his fingers into the blackness and pulled some drops away, letting them attract back to their origins.  
  
The black drops looked like water, almost. An almost serene sense passed over Sora from this. "It's like home…" he murmured as he remembered the vast ocean that surrounded their tiny island. That small patch of sand… surrounded by water. So much water… It seemed endless, really.  
  
"It is nothing like home!" the boy received as a responds. A hiss was rather apparent in Riku's voice as he almost spat these words at Sora. "Home is gone, destroyed. I hope I never see that forsaken place again. It corrupted us, Sora. It made us who we are and we can be at no fault for our actions in life because of that damned island!"  
  
"They're our lives! The island didn't make us. The island doesn't hold our souls, our light, and our shadows. We take them wherever we go and we will always be who we are. True we can be corrupted by our surroundings, but we just have to overcome it. Riku… there is strength in each one of us… don't… don't let it fail you. You can still escape the darkness," Sora said with a passion to his voice that he almost felt like he was about to cry.  
  
Riku felt such a burn in his chest from those words and pushed Sora against the wall and hissed at him. He pulled his blade out of thin air and pressed it against Sora's neck. "I wonder if you'll bleed like a normal human, Sora… You cannot be normal…" he murmured with his lips ever so close to Sora's face.  
  
He began to press the blade more into the other boy's neck, but then suddenly stopped, pulling himself away. He tossed his blade into the darkness at the windows and heard the shatter of the glass, but there was a suction noise of the black layer sucking all of it inside. "Run…" he said in a taught voice. He looked up at Sora with darkened eyes and clutched his chest in pain. "Just fucking run while you can, Sora!" he yelled out.  
  
The other boy didn't dare question his long time friend and just bolted. He found that all the locked doors were now open. He clutched his bruised and slightly bleeding throat as he stumbled through the streets. As he was running he tripped and slid through a puddle of mud. He lifted his head slowly and looked up to the sky as lightning made a spider across the sky. The light burned into the boy's eyes and he shivered.  
  
"I will get you back, Riku…" he whispered in a tender voice as he brought his fingers to his chest. It burned. The light inside burned to save his dearest friend. He needed to have Riku back in his life… nothing would be the same without him. He knew that for a fact now that he had seen him again.  
  
**********  
  
Riku picked himself up and shook his head a little. He snuffed a laugh and walked over to the darkness and reached inside. The black liquid started to engulf his arm and he smiled with affection as if it were just a pet. He pulled his blade from the darkness and let it drip back to its heap. His fingers snapped and the moving puddle faded into seeming nothing, but just merely returned to the large pool of darkness.  
  
"Heh… Sora… You are too predictable. I know how you work, my friend. You will become strong… become a true and formable fighting partner. You will feel pain some day," he murmured as he looked out at the dark and rolling clouds.  
  
He looked at the small amount of blood on his blade and licked in clean. "You taste good, too, Sora…" he said in an even more dark tone as his deep blue eyes looked the sword over. He placed his blade back into its invisible sheath that only he could summon it from. "You just better not make me wait long…" he muttered as he, himself, disappeared into nothingness.  
  
He had returned to who he obediently called 'master' and smiled a cynical smile. He knew he would get bitched out from his actions, but he didn't really give a damn. With the look on her face right now… he knew it would be a while, though. That would be a pain in the ass most certainly.  
  
"I thought you were going to kill the keyblade master. That certainly didn't seem like killing him. You seemed weak, pathetic… just like… a child," Maleficent said in a dark and scornful tone. The dark, evil queen walked closer to Riku, making a clicking nose as she walked. Her staff his the ground hard, the noise echoing through the whole hall. Riku, however, didn't flinch slightly.  
  
The gray haired boy just shook his head. "You don't know anything. You never knew him. Also… I said I would kill him; so, just let me be. He will be dead, mark my words… I just need a more formable enemy," Riku explained as he gestured a little with his hands. He shook his head and smirked at her. "Don't worry… he won't be in the way… He'll help us out, you'll see…"  
  
**********  
  
The others in the room looked on the young boy with questioning eyes as the boy entered. He had no clue what to say or do at this point. Squall was the only one who dared to move closer to Sora and he knelt down in front of the boy. "Are you alright?" he asked in a low and quiet voice so only Sora could hear the question being presented.  
  
The young boy's head bobbed lightly to confirm that he was, in fact, okay. Slowly he placed his hand to his throat and muttered a soft heal, letting the blood that had escaped dry to his hand and clothing and be the only mark left from the wound.  
  
"I… I think Donald, Goofy and I should seal up the next planet…" Sora whispered in a low voice and indicated for his two companions to follow. The two animals followed the command quickly and exited the house.  
  
Sora looked at the two concerned faces and he threw them a huge smile. "I'm okay, really! For the first time in a long time… I have something true for which to strive," he said. The two nodded, but their faces didn't light up at all. "Aw… come on! I'm fine, really. See?" he lifted his head up a little to expose his neck. "There won't even be a scar," he said proudly and then nodded.  
  
Goofy tromped closer to Sora and examined his neck and then nodded as if satisfied. He smiled wide and patted the boy on the head. "Gee, Sora! You're right. I can't hardly tell you were ever harmed," he said in his usual dork tone. He stepped into the Gummi Ship with a content look on his face and found his seat in a fashionable manner.  
  
Donald soon piled in who was followed by a more chipper Sora. Before the boy fully entered the Gummi Ship he pulled his head out. "Hold on a minute… I think…" he said as he stepped back out and looked over the city a bit. "I think there is a keyhole here…" he murmured as he started to walk toward the second district almost in a trance.  
  
The duck and dog exchanged confused looks, but soon enough followed at the boy. "Gawrsh, you think there is a keyhole here?" he asked in a floppy tone and padded after Sora, catching up to the boy. He looked down on his short ally and smiled in a friendly manner.  
  
"Yep…" was all the boy responded as he pushed the doors open to the second district. He felt a chill down his spine as he felt he was once again being watched, but this time… it wasn't from Riku. He glanced around out of the corners of his eyes as he walked to the Gizmo Shop. He didn't even bother with anything inside and just went to the roof. As he approached the bell to ring it, he felt another chill. It was such a strange sensation.  
  
With a leery expression, Sora reached his fingers out to the hanging rope and grabbed onto it. His grip was firm and secure. He pulled down on the bell three times, letting the sound chime out when suddenly there was a glow from down below. The image that was by the fountain now changed and no longer was an image, but was a keyhole.  
  
Donald quickly perked up and pointed down to the fountain. "There it is!" he said in an obvious fashion as he started to run toward it. Goofy followed right behind him as did Sora. Moments before they reached the actual keyhole a dark circle appeared and none other than a heartless emerged.  
  
The large figure loomed over the small lot of heroes and stood its ground well. Sora immediately pulled out his keyblade and was ready to fight. His fingers tightened around the handle of the blade and he attacked right off. The three battled away, taking the large creature out so it could not take the world for the heartless.  
  
Once this large creature was taken care of they could freely locked this world. The young boy extended his arm, which held the keyblade in it and watched as a beam of light entered the keyhole and locked the world. He sighed as this world was now locked as well. "Now… should we move along?" Sora asked with a slightly cocky smile.  
  
"Next stop… Agrabah," Goofy commented with a hiccupped laugh on the end. He grinned in his silly manner and started to walk back to the Gummi Ship in his lazy fashion. Donald followed right behind the dog, but Sora lingered by the keyhole for a few moments longer.  
  
"I will get you back, Riku…" Sora vowed as he nodded and then ran after his two rather new friends. He had a determined smile on his face as he crawled inside of the Gummi Ship. He sat down and nodded. "Let's go," he said.  
  
**********  
  
Yuffie looked around the room and looked at the two men. He grabbed Aerith by the arm and smiled wide. "We have some shopping to do! Don't wait up for us; I have a place we can stay in the first district. Girl talk, you know?" she commented with a giggle and dragged the other woman out of the room before there was any protesting from any party.  
  
Squall sighed as he lifted his head and looked at Cloud. There was a strange and pleasant sense about being alone here. He let out a light laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "That girl is such a piece of work, both of them, really…" he stated as he shook his head softly and walked to one of the chairs at the table, seating himself.  
  
"I'm going," Cloud said as he pushed himself from the bed and headed toward the door. He took smooth and long strides, but was cut off before he could reach the actual door. He paused and looked at the man blocking his path. "What?" he asked in a low and threatening voice. His eyes narrowed and darkened as he looked at the other man.  
  
The brown haired man shook his head and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder to stop him. "What is up with you? I don't get you… and where do you plan on going? You just got here…" he questioned with a confused look passing over his features. He didn't think he was really that bad of company.  
  
Their noses practically touched as glare pressed against calm. Cloud broke the intense look and found the floor more interesting. "I'm going to find that brat… I have some past history I need to fix with him… and I just need a few questions answered," he explained with a bitter voice. He felt the hand remove itself and Squall moved from his way. He didn't bother thanking the other man and just left.  
  
"I shouldn't let you go… I'm failing our vow…" he muttered darkly and he walked over to the bed and flopped down on it with a groan. He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but he ached. He was in so much pain in this moment. He just wanted to fade to nothing… let it all fade to black. "If you die… I die, too…" he said as he curled on himself.  
  
**********  
  
As the dark man walked across the ground rain started to drip down from the heavens above. His blonde hair drooped a little and he looked up as he heaved his heavy sword over his shoulder. He snorted in a disgruntled manner from the rain as he walked on. "I know you're around, still! Come out, come out, where ever you are," he taunted the boy who was in hiding.  
  
A soft windy sound occurred as Riku appeared behind Cloud and smiled in a cruel way. "Ah, such a perceptive one to darkness. You would be good on our side. Oh, wait! You were… you know you will pay for betraying us…" he said as he pulled his wing-like blade from thin air. He looked at his own blade and then at Cloud's. "That thing looks too awkward…" he thought out loud. He shrugged it off quickly enough, though.  
  
The silver haired boy rolled his shoulders a little and smirked. "What exactly do you want?" he asked as he looked at his gloved hand in interest. He acted like his hand was so much more important than Cloud and smirked, as he knew it would make the other man mad. He liked pissing some certain people off at times.  
  
The man turned to the boy and looked down on him. "I'm here to settle some things…" he said in a low voice and narrowed his eyes at Riku. He pulled the blade off of his shoulder and let the tip rest on the concrete ground. He waited for the boy's next actions, trying to watch and predict from each fine movement.  
  
Without warning, it seemed like time froze. Cloud couldn't move from Riku's strike until it was too late. Everything seemed in such slow motion when the young boy came upon him. Red splashed out and stained the ground and clothing. The wound caused the man to fall to one knee, using his large sword as a means to stay somewhat standing, if that is what you could call it.  
  
Riku looked down at Cloud now and smiled harshly. "Payback, eh? Well… let's see when that comes, hmm?" he asked in a sinister voice. He shook his head and turned from Cloud. "Go crawl back home, now… don't come saying threats you cannot keep next time," he stated as he walked off. Mid stride he was engulfed by darkness and warped away.  
  
The blonde sneered at this and held his side in pain. He looked up at the falling droplets of water and got some in his eyes. He blinked them away and watched as the lightning made an awe-inspiring web across the sky. He shivered from this and pushed himself up with a groan. He couldn't stay out in the rain forever. He'd die… and… he couldn't. Something inside him told him to move on.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: I am SOOOOOO sorry this took forever! I got an ear infection last week and now I am getting very sick! I didn't mean for this update to take so long… I am really, really sorry… I hope this doesn't happen again, but I won't promise anything 'cause… that wouldn't be cool if I broke my promise. And who knows how long I'm going to be sick. And… I hope you liked this chappy. *nods nods* 


	5. Touch the Rain

Disclaimer: What? Why do I need a disclaimer? .; Not like you don't know already that they aren't mine… ACK! *gasps* Did I just say they weren't mine?! Noooooo! The pain! ;_; Anyway… I shut up now. .; They aren't mine and that's the truth I'm stickin' to.  
  
A/N: Woohoo… -.- I'm sick. Very, very sick. Maybe by the end of this chappy I'll be okei… maybe not. I'm sure you'll know when I hit the end… heh… So… yes. Here is another installment and hopefully it hasn't been too long since the last update… I hope not. I really hope not at all.  
____________  
Chapter 5  
Touch the Rain  
  
Cloud stumbled to the small house, holding his side in pain. He didn't quite reach the door of the house and fell against the window. He stained the glass with his blood, but saw it washing to the ground and thinning out from the rain that poured down from the wicked heavens. He scorned them and closed his eyes as he gasped in a bit of pain. He couldn't even look inside to see if anyone was in there. It was too much pain. Only pain, though. He knew he wasn't injured enough to die or anything… just to be in severe pain.  
  
He found himself dropping down to his knees and placing his hands to his side and whispering 'heal,' but only getting enough affect to close the wound slightly. At least now he was assured he wouldn't bleed to death. He clasped his hand to his side and waited. Just waited. He didn't care for what, but he needed someone, anyone, just a saving grace right now to pull him in from the cold.  
  
**********  
  
Squall stirred inside the house and felt a chill run through his body. He looked to the window that was being beaten down on with rain, but there was something else there, too, a red liquid mixing with this clear one. He realized only too quickly what the fading substance was. Blood. Without a moment more of hesitation the man stumbled out of the bed and ran to the door. He threw it open and caught his breathe in his throat. "Cloud?" he asked in a shocked tone.  
  
Cloud looked up at Squall and just gave a bit of a laugh. By this time, Cloud's blond hair was drooping somewhat from the rain and his clothes were fully damp. His body was now even becoming a bit chilled. He just couldn't help but laugh a bit more and lean now on Squall's leg. He picked up on some heat and started to cling to it, not really thinking about what he was doing much.  
  
With a heavy sweatdrop Squall blinked at Cloud. He slowly peeled the man off of his leg and supported him a bit. He looked Cloud over a bit, trying to see where he was injured. "There was blood… where are you hurt?" he asked in a distant tone. He didn't want to get himself involved emotionally, so, he kept himself far from the situation, at least, in a sense.  
  
"I'm not that hurt. Just a bit bloodier than it should be. It only hurts, but I'll be fine. Oh, and it's my side…" Cloud finally answered Squall. He pulled at his shirt a bit, exposing his side to show the vaguely concerned man the wound. It was closed, as he had done it himself, but still there was a noticeable gash there.  
  
Seeing the remains of the wounds the dark haired man groaned a bit and placed his hand on the exposed area. He whispered a small heal and finished the delicate healing spell they Cloud had tried to produce before on himself and only seemed to have enough energy to make it work half the way.  
  
"Come on, let's get you inside before you catch cold…" Squall grumbled as if he was only concerned slightly about Cloud's health and nothing else about him. He looked to the door and started to walk to it, knowing Cloud was fine to hold himself up now, so, he had also released the other man of the supporting nature he had.  
  
The blond man just stood there, letting the rain drip down his body, letting it touch every part of him. He kept his eyes set on the scruffy looking man he had somewhat admired for his ability and compassion. "Beautiful," he said out loud to the other man, letting him take it as he pleased. To inquire or not, it was up to the other man.  
  
Taking it as the weather, the other man turns and looks out across the wet ridden streets and saw the hazy figures of lights glaring down and through the thick rain. His eyes then traveled up to the darkened sky and saw no stars peeking through, but only the faint reflections of the city lights on the clouds. It was really beautiful out there. "Yes, it is," he grumbled out.  
  
Cloud just looked away and to the ground and nodded faintly. "Yeah…" he whispered out. "Oh… I haven't asked you, but have you found who you want to protect?" the man asked with a hoping that he wouldn't. He wanted to be the one to be protected, but he had a sinking feeling his heart would end up cracked in the end, but it was his own fault… he had made Squall promise this.  
  
A soft grin crossed over Squall's face as he looked at the sky. "Well, yes, actually, I have," the man replied to the inquired question. His eyes had to blink as water kept hitting his delicate eyes. By now he was also soaked completely and his hair started to cling to his face. "And I almost thought I'd lose this person tonight, but they proved they could survive," he added on quietly, just having his voice above the sound of the wind.  
  
Now it was Cloud's turn to take a hit at being dense. The once strong man drooped down and felt like he was lost in himself. He looked off to the side and nodded somewhat. He didn't say anything more to Squall and just started to turn away and walk to the stairs. He just didn't feel like fighting against the pain was worth it anymore. Love had fled him twice… he wouldn't let it take a stab at him a third time. He wasn't that foolish.  
  
Squall caught sight of Cloud moving away from the house and seeming to be leaving. He ran after the man and grabbed the upper part of his arm. "Wait… I think you misunderstood, Cloud," he said with a hint of panic in his voice. His eyes pressed on Cloud and wanted the other man to turn around. He didn't want the one he vowed to himself to guard to leave him.  
  
Shaking his head, Cloud shrugged the other man's arm off of his own. "No… I understand it well, Squall," was all his could say in a low voice. He stated in a low voice. His eyes closed and his body tensed.  
  
With a crashing feeling, Cloud's words hit Squall in the chest hard. "Oh…" was what Squall managed to respond back to what the other male had said to him. It figured. The one he would decide on protecting and giving his heart to would end up being the one person who was set against having this heart. "Then I can't keep my promise to you," he finally found some words.  
  
The words sifted through Cloud's mind a few moments and he turned to the ex-SeeD member. "What?" he asked in slightly confusion. "Okay… maybe I don't understand…" he said with a bit of a lost voice. It took him a lot to admit he didn't know what he thought he did, but with what Squall had said… it could almost mean…  
  
"I wanted to protect you…" Squall finally spat out. He didn't want to dance around the subject any more and wanted it clear what he was trying to say. Though he was actually brave enough to say it, he wasn't enough to see Cloud's reaction and shifted his eyes to the wet ground.  
  
Cloud slowly looked at Squall and couldn't help but change his expression to a painful smile. "Me?" he asked with a lighter tone than he had before. He never thought the one person for whom he hoped would protect him; then again… he never thought he would be protected in his life at all. It seemed that he finally had something in his life to treasure to the fullest. His search for that one thing… his light… was over. Sora was right; he would find his light and had done so.  
  
"Let's take you inside," Squall said with a soft smile. "You'll catch cold otherwise… and we wouldn't want that to happen, ne?" he asked in a warmer voice than he had had in a very long time. Then again… he was happier than he had been in a very long time. It seemed that love warmed the heart so much, making the person, in general, much warmer to others (as long as no one hurt their lover.)  
  
A true and heart-filled smile pressed on the blond man's lips. He walked to Squall and leaned on the man and almost clung to him. With a meek look he nodded and was soon lead inside of the house.  
  
Just enough into the house, Cloud was pressed against the door by Squall and pushed in a deep and hard kiss. Their bodies pressed hard against one another and water dripped from them. Soon enough, there was a small puddle below them from the rain that had clung to them until this point in time.  
  
"Hn… Let's get these wet clothes off of you," Squall grumbled as he started to unbuckle one of the buckles Cloud was wearing. He felt the other man lightly nibbling on one of his own buckles on his arm. "What are you doing?" he asked with a strange tone and a laugh as he tipped Cloud's chin up, breaking the contact with the leather.  
  
"Err… I was nibbling your buckle on your arm?" he asked meekly and smiled an innocent smile. It seemed so strange. Both of them were being playful. Their voices were also more caring and compassionate. Though, they both knew that in public they would be cold and uncaring again, but at least they could share these moments together.  
  
Squall growled playfully and dragged Cloud over to the bed. He pushed him down on it and pounced on him. "You dare to chew on those, you little imp?" he asked as he started to pull the buckle he had been messing with before off and tossing it to the side.  
  
"Well, if you weren't so damn sexy, maybe I wouldn't," he said in a pouting tone. He reached up and grabbed the necklace-thing that was hanging from Squall's neck and pulled the other man close to him. "And you dare to ravish my body?" he asked with a growl as he nipped at the other man's lips.  
  
Licking the other man's lips he thought about the question for a second. "Is there a doubt or an objection that I should be doing otherwise?" he asked as he pulled the second buckle off of Cloud's waist. Now he went for the one on the other man's leg and saw his friend squirm under the touch. "So sensitive…" he teased lightly as he fully pulled it away.  
  
"Bastard…" he growled out and pressed his lips on Squall's mouth. He placed one of his arms on the other man's neck and placed his other hand on the man's back. The claws on his left hand, a.k.a. the hand on Squall's back, dug into the skin below the jacket and shirt ever so slightly, making marks that would be seen later.  
  
Squall broke the kiss apart and looked at Cloud with a triumphant smirk. "You're fun to snog," he said with a light laugh. He pecked a small kiss on Cloud's nose and then nuzzled him a bit. His fingers trailed over Cloud's hands and entwined themselves together with the matching hand. His fingers tenderly rubbed at the flesh of the other man's hands and he closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head on the blonde's shoulder.  
  
The man lying on the bottom closed his eyes and give off a small shiver from his soaked clothing. He had been wearing these for far too long and would get sick if he wasn't removed from them. He lifted Squall's head from his shoulder and placed his hands on both cheeks. He peered up with soft blue eyes and smiled from the curious look of the other man.  
  
His head lifted from the bed and wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and kissed him ever so softly. His eyes fluttered shut and he let out a bit of a moan into the other man's mouth. One of his legs bent up and his foot rested flat on the bed.  
  
The blonde haired man started to slowly pull the meaningless jacket away from the other man's body. Clothing… it was so pointless… well, not really. It was just a pain in the ass. It was nice to protect your body from prying eyes… but it was bothersome to remove so many layers when trying to just make love in a small house, alone.  
  
"You wear too much clothes…" Cloud murmured as he looked up at Squall with a smile. He looked over his face and then just set his eyes at the scar on the other man's face. His finger reached up and ran along it in thought. "Where'd you get this from?" he asked in a wondering voice. His head cocked a bit to the side and he admired the deep and everlasting scar on the man's face.  
  
The man on top winced a little and took Cloud's hand into his own and kissed it softly. He closed his eyes and sighed a little. "It was from Seifer… We always would spar, but it would also always get out of control. Things happened in those encounters that I would rather not talk about some of those things that happened…" he said with a sigh. He looked away from the man who was so close to him, almost wanting to distance himself completely.  
  
Cloud grabbed both of Squall's cheeks and forced him to look at him. "Don't do this, Squall," he threatened in a low voice. He narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a serious look to the man who was leaning over. "I mean, I'm sorry shit happened, but you know what? I really need you to stop feeling so damn sorry about yourself," he said in a low voice. He pushed Squall off of him and slowly walked over to the window. He looked outside and sighed a bit. "Is this right?" he asked as he crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on the rain.  
  
Squall sat up on the bed and slowly crossed over to Cloud, placing his head on the other man's shoulder and closing his eyes. "If this isn't right… then I can live with being wrong my whole life," he whispered out. "I'm sorry, Cloud… I don't mean to distance myself or feel sorry," he told the other man quietly. He swallowed hard and started to kiss at the blonde's neck.  
  
The subdued blonde leaned back into his newfound-lover and moaned slightly as he closed his eyes. His head turned a bit to expose the delicate flesh even more so. He sighed softly and smiled at the warm touch. "You seem to be able to melt away my demons…" he whispered against the cool air. His body was starting to feel frozen all over, but his heart was now warm. There seemed like the light from Squall was washing over his soul.  
  
Squall smirked a little and looked at what Cloud was wearing. "And wait… I wear too much clothing? It seems like you are trying to wear everything you own," he said with a small laugh as he started to disrobe the other man. Claws, hooks, belts, cape and boots got removed and placed delicately to the side.  
  
"That's because it is true…" he whispered in return as he closed his eyes and rested there, letting Squall strip him of his possession and pain. He wore some of these things just to cause his own mental anguish and to never forget. He would never forget Vincent. That was one man he refused to forget in his life. The man he killed with his own hands.  
  
The brunette lightly kissed at Cloud's neck, trying to take away his pain, trying to help him just forget in a moment of pure bliss. He wished they could be washed clean of their past and their mistakes, but all they could do was live on with darker hearts than a normal being. Cloud didn't have the eternal light that Squall had, though. His heart was darkness through and through, but he could be good from such a strong light that Squall gave off.  
  
Each layer of clothing was slowly pulled from the men, each needing more bare skin and pulling away the useless fabrics that denied them this heated passion of love. Once completely bare, Squall rested on top of Cloud and breathed in sharp. He was now breathing more in threads than before and he had to fix his eyes on Cloud to steady his mind.  
  
"Is… is this okay with you?" Squall asked as he was close to entering Cloud and making them one. He pressed his lips against the other man's and felt a needing nod. His body trembled with fear, love, and lust, anything that he could feel. His body ached for more of Cloud and he was glad he wasn't denied this pleasure.  
  
The two bodies seemed to become one as Squall slowly pushed himself into Cloud's entrance. Both let out a deep moan. The man on top pressed his head into the other's shoulder and licked and nibbled furiously at the flesh he found there. And the man on the bottom clutched his hands up around the other man, pulling him closer, wanting more, needing more.  
  
Each man pushed against one another in a greedy manner, trying to get more of each other, feeling the intense pressure build up between them. Each closed his eyes letting the air heat them in the small house and the moisture build up, removing what little friction was left between them.  
  
In a sudden moment of panic and intensity each man found himself in a haze of pure pleasure, finding it impossible to hold back anymore. Sticky and milky semen found itself splashed up on Squall's body, spread across Cloud's front and nestled inside of the blonde. The man resting on top slowly slid himself out and his body seemed to collapse down in a panting heap. He had no energy left, but it felt so wonderful.  
  
The men lay there, panting, gasping, choking on pleasure… each trying to fight the sleep that pricked at their senses and nibbled at their mind. With such little energy left, the protector pulled the blankets around them to shield them from the cold of the world. He placed a few well aimed kissed on the other man before his eyes lazily fell shut.  
  
The sweat and semen dried on the men, leaving them smelling a lot like sex. They didn't care, though, because they felt so wonderful pressed against one another. Each man's dreams were filled with nothing, which was the best grace that they had been given in such a long time. They were no longer plagued with their fears for at least this one night.  
  
*********  
  
Outside the rain still feel, but now the moon was exposed to the face of the world. It bled down its pale and white light, trying to illuminate what it could in the darkness. A lone figure stood on the rooftop, staring up at the sky. Even in this pale light, it could be seen his hair glinted in a silver tone and his icy blue eyes reflected the light perfectly.  
  
His body cast a shadow behind him, the heartless crawling over one another in this boys' shadow. They slid over one another, bodies entangled, twisted. They tried to escape, but the light burned them if they went too far. A few screeches of pain emerged from the shadows as they touched the forsaken light.  
  
He glanced down to the small house in that district and shook his head softly. "So weak…" his voice broke into the night and he let a soft and drunken looking smile cross his face. "He tries to escape his dark heart with trying to drown it away with light. Tch… he'll regret it," he whispered into the wind, as if trying to inform some entity that wasn't there to listen to him.  
  
He burned in anger from being alone and his angry took this form. He never would admit his pain was from this jealous notion that his heart conjured up inside. He tucked it away in the back of his mind, never wanting to face the painful truth. It was easier being a coward and torture dear Sora then to actually admit he needed the boy.  
  
"…Light begets darkness, but the darkness obsesses the light… how odd the workings of fate. Twisted and simple we are… and yet nothing can end in happiness. This life will be no comedy; it can only be a tragedy. It is so beautiful."  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Woo! Another chappy done for you. XD Ummm… .; I hope you don't mind it and such… cause… *coughs* This is my first actually malexmale sex scene. @.@ I couldn't go like… all p0rn0 on it… and just went… yeah. O.o; I hope you dun mind… and… erm… I think I might be getting healthier, so, yeah! Weee!!! Not I dun have bronchitis XD I have a stomach flu. X3 My body loves me. ;_; 


	6. The Eye of the Storm

Disclaimer: Hn. Can't really think of anything cool right now… So… yeah. Don't own 'em. 'nuff said. ^^;;  
  
A/N: Umm… Just writing more… and stuff… yeah… I guess here is the next chapter. Can you please leave review if you're still reading? (I know I haven't updated in a while, life has been hell for me…) But… if no one is reading this I'll stop putting in all this effort and the likes… I just need to know. And my muse needs a little praise. If you help out… I'll write the next chapter faster no matter what happens… *bribe, bribe*  
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Chapter 6  
The Eye of the Storm  
  
The fearless trio arrived in the seemingly never-ending desert. Slowly they turned around and saw a large wall looming over them, throwing a shadow over them, and protecting anything in its wake from the sun. Though, it could not protect them from the wind that seemed to be picking up and striking them with pinpricking sand.  
  
Sora looked around and felt a serene state of panic. He felt really strange and out of sorts. He smiled through he felt afraid of what might come. Stepping across the burning desert he felt his senses perk and like he wasn't supposed to be there. He didn't belong.  
  
Glancing at his companions he shook his head softly. "This isn't right. We have no right to be here…" he stated in a tight voice. "I have no right to know you as you have no right to know me. It doesn't matter anymore… I need to find Riku and Kairi. I need to get to the ends of these worlds," he said as he stepped back and away from the walls that protected the city.  
  
Without a second thought the boy broke from them and started to run. He was running in a blind haze of emotions and fear. He felt his body losing itself from the sweat and sweltering heat. Within moments he passed out against the fine and grainy sand.  
  
**********  
  
Water splashed on the young form's face and he awoke slowly. Everything was shaded and darker, but still had a sense of overwhelming heat. He swallowed hard and found his throat dry and scratched.  
  
Sitting up, he held his head in pain and a cup was pressed against his lips and he was forced to drink from it. The cool liquid rushed down his throat, moisturizing and hydrating him. It felt so wonderful with the heat pressing against his body in waves.  
  
He felt a pair of warm lips on his ear, feeling the breath down his neck. He couldn't help but purr slightly from this odd feeling. His eyes pressed shut as the lips brushed lightly over the crest of his ear. It seemed so familiar that he didn't fight it, and yet he never felt anything like it before. It was just… somehow familiar.  
  
"Who…?" he asked out in a quiet and uncertain voice, nothing louder would escape from his lips. He pressed against the warm body, not minding the heat that was given off from this entity. It felt so comfortable and relaxing being there.  
  
The stronger and obviously larger figure pulled him closer and nuzzled him. "Don't you recognize me?" he murmured into the brunette's ear. Not even needing to say another thing, he was found out to who he was. It was Riku. That voice… it couldn't belong to any other person.  
  
The smaller form pulled away from the one holding him tenderly. "R-Riku?!" he asked in a strange manner. "But… why?" he asked quietly. His fingers reached out meekly and touched the other boy's cheek lightly. He looked around quickly and noticed no darkness around. "There aren't any heartless around… I though…"  
  
"Shhh…" the silver haired boy cut off quietly. He shook his head and peered with soft and caring blue eyes. "I'm losing myself to the darkness, Sora… I won't be myself much longer. My heart… I've given myself to darkness to save that girl. I wanted to thank her for giving me something to aspire to… and… to kill her in front of you. I was jealous, Sora… I realize that now. I'm sorry," he whispered quietly and pet his friend's cheek lightly.  
  
Sora swallowed hard from this. "K-kill?" he asked in a quiet and uncertain voice. He gave Riku a slightly scared look and pulled his knees to his chest. He peered up from them and at the older boy in a strange manner, not sure what they should say from this point on. "I'm sorry you were jealous…" he addressed. "I never meant to make you feel jealous… and… I never loved Kairi as much as I loved you," he stated calmly.  
  
Taken off guard. Riku just stared for a moment. He sat there on his knees and stared at Sora in a strange state of shock. "You… love me?" he asked. "It's too late for it now," he hissed out and jerked his head to the side and looked down at the sand that was softly brushing over the ground. "I'll be a part of the darkness within a day or two…"  
  
"Why did this have to happen like this?" the young boy asked in a small tone. He crawled over and hugged onto his friend and snuggled close. "I don't want to be apart from you and yet… we are natural enemies. I promise to save you from the darkness… as long as you promise to save me from the light in the end…" he whimpered out.  
  
Shaking his head lightly, Riku pressed Sora softly down on the sandy grass and shook his head lightly. "I don't know why, but it is a promise…" he murmured gently and brought his lips down on the delicate ones of his friend.  
  
They pulled apart and looked at one another with a look of fear on their features. The only thing they could do now was to hold one another until the moment they were to be broken from one another.  
  
"I wish Kairi had never come to our island… we'd still be there… together…" Sora whispered to the slightly older boy. He couldn't believe this hell that had come to be was all because that brunette came to their island and filled their mind about some place other than their small island. It seemed so strange that the thing that tore them apart was a girl, but… not like it normally would have been between two males.  
  
Riku nodded softly and watched as his younger friend slowly drifted to sleep. He smiled sadly as he looked over his friend's face. He had such delicate features, almost like a puppy and a child mixed into a person. He looked so peaceful and happy when sleeping. If only he could cast an everlasting sleeping spell on the one he loved to make him not suffer through this and to always seem happy. Trapped in dreams of joy, not the soon nightmare of sorrow he would face.  
  
"This is all my fault… and you will be the one to save me… I just hope I can save you from whatever it is that will torment you…" he murmured quietly and pressed his lips on Sora's forehead. He watched as the younger one's eyes slowly fluttered open. Sleepy blue orbs peered up at the constant friend.  
  
A meek look pressed on the childish face and he pulled his arms around his friend in a hug. "Riku, where are you going?" he asked in a quiet and friendly voice. It seemed like he knew what was happening, but it also seemed as if the boy thought he was still trapped in a dream-like state.  
  
Comforting the boy, Riku kissed away the sleepy tears that trailed from the boy's eyes. "I'm just going away for a while. I promise when you wake from this nightmare… I'll be there in your dreams," he whispered in a sorrowful voice. The almost ice-cold eyes soften and peered with a warm and caring look.  
  
"Now, love, go back to your sleep and dream of nothing this time," he continued in a gentle voice. He watched once again until the boy fell back to sleep. "And in time you will see the angel you are… and the devil I have become. Let's see if you're a strong enough angel to fight this devil into the heaven we deserve," he told the sleeping figure.  
  
**********  
  
Many hours later, Sora woke… alone. He no longer had the heat from Riku's body to keep him warm and only had the heat from the setting sun. The night would be a cold one, though there would be heat in the sand for a bit of time.  
  
Standing up, the boy looked around, lost and confused. He looked back down at the two imprints of their bodies and pulled his arms closer to himself. "I'll fight through hell as long as you're at my side… even if at my side means… not on my side," he murmured as he shook his head. It didn't make sense, any of it.  
  
He had no clue where he was to go, but he let his feet take him where they wanted. Seems that Riku hadn't taken him too far from the city, but a decent amount away. He approached the closed gates and pushed them open with all his strength.  
  
The city was… interesting to say the least. He looked at the carpets strewn about and the pots littering the paths. He sighed as he pushed past the people crowding the market. Seems like the heartless abandoned this part of the city… or… found for that which they were looking. At this point in time, Sora didn't care what the answer was and just wanted to save Riku for the darkness, no matter the costs.  
  
Searching the city, he finally found the two companions he had come with to this planet. "We're going," he told them in a firm voice and turned from them, starting to head toward the gummi ship so they could leave this strange place.  
  
"What?!" Donald cried out as he ran up and catch a hold of Sora's arm. He glared up at the boy with a frown on his face. "We need to seal this planet and make sure the planet's boarders are maintained!" he demanded of the child.  
  
Sora simply shook his head to this and shrugged of the duck's grip. "The way I figure it… if we seal the final destination… it will seal all the worlds… I mean, since that one place originally affected everything else, shouldn't it work the other way?" he questioned his so-called friends.  
  
The dog nodded slowly and placed his hand on his chin. He perked his head to the side and looked at the disgruntled duck. "Well, y'know, Donald… He could be right… I mean, gawrsh… It doesn't hurt to try. I mean, if we seal that off we could always go back and seal the other planets if it doesn't seal 'em," he commented in a lazy voice.  
  
Donald narrowed his eyes at his companion who was supposed to back him up and then frowned at Sora. "Fine, fine…" he pouted in a rasped voice. He waddled to the gummi ship in silent protest, but knew somewhere that it wouldn't matter that he had this silent protest because no one really even seemed to take his words for anything.  
  
Goofy patted Sora hard on the back. He stumbled over to the gummi ship, in a rather floppy manner, not even realizing that the duck was mad at him. He was totally oblivious to any negative feelings from his faithful companion.  
  
Right behind the two, the brown haired child followed them. He had a deep burning in his heart to save his friend. Not only that, he wanted to be saved from this hero's life. He never asked for the keyblade to come to him, so why should he be forced to save everything when all he wanted to was to save the ones he loved?  
  
'We'll save him,' the child thought to himself, a sigh escaping his lips as he settled into his seat in the gummi ship. "We ready?" he asked to make sure each of the other members of their 'team' were really ready for this and wouldn't chicken out of it.  
  
"You bet'cha," Goofy said with a wide grin and a few nods. He only received an abrupt and curt nod from the duck of the group. Though, that same fellow did start the ship and begin their final journal, hopefully, as this three-person team. The worlds would be saved and they could each go back to their restored homes.  
  
**********  
  
Arriving at their destined place, they all emerged in a confused manner. The ground seemed almost… skewed into a different dimension and everything felt static. There was no wind. Suffocating air. Lost dreams. It was like all their hopes felt crushed from this leering dream.  
  
"What… is this place?" Donald asked as he stepped out on the black rock. His eyes scanned the spanning nothingness and he swallowed. Black orbs dropped from nothing, appearing from the light.  
  
The youngest of the fellowship walked ahead, stepping forth and off of the cliff edge. Instead of falling, however, he was met with an invisible ground. "It's where reality is nothing and dreams are fake. It's darkness' realm, what else could you expect when your mind can't predict?" he inquired in an enigmatic type of way.  
  
The dog followed out and stepped toward the void of nothing. "So… you're sayin' we have to go into that big abyss over there?" he asked, feigning serious. His head turned to the side, as if trying to get a different perspective on this grand black.  
  
"Pretty much…" the boy said as he started to walk toward the expanding darkness. "Seems like fun," he said as he grinned back at his companions and started to bolt toward the throbbing orb. "Come on, or you'll be left behind," he yelled over his shoulder.  
  
Goofy looked down at his fellow duck friend and shrugged before he took off after the boy. His feet flopped against the ground, echoing a thud over the barren straights. He didn't really even notice this noise, but it seemed to be amplified to the point where it was throbbing in his ears and he felt a shiver run down his spine.  
  
Each member stopped slowly, panting from the running they had done and listened. The throbbing wasn't from their running; it was coming from the pulsing darkness. "I don't think we should be coming here yet!" Donald yelled in a panicked voice.  
  
"Where going to have to come here sometime, right? Why not now?" Sora yelled back inquiring. He got a squawk back, but nothing much else from his teammates. They pushed on, feeling the darkness trying to swallow them, devour them.  
  
A smile set on the youngest as he looked over his shoulder again. "Just trust your heart! We'll see through this if you just remember those you love and the light your heart has!" he yelled at the top of his lungs over the steady hum and the piercing throbs.  
  
Suddenly, out from the darkness a figure started to materialize. Soon enough, it could be told that this body was that of a younger adolescent boy. It was none other than Riku's form. The boy who was darkness, just as Sora was light. They approached one another, facing each with a feigned smirk. Neither wanted to fight, but their peers and hearts were pushing them.  
  
It was now the final blazing showdown. Everything was on the line, including the universe. It was now either dark or light to reign over all… though none could tell who would be the one to win because both forces were strong.  
  
"It's time…" Sora whispered as he stepped closer to Riku. Each extended a hand, shaking it to validate their match. Neither wanting to admit it, but falling to the fates that pulled at their bodies. "Good luck," the younger boy told his friend with a small smile on his lips.  
  
The taller boy stepped closer, bringing his lips to the other boy's ear. "And the same goes for you," he responded in a deeper and different voice. It wasn't Riku, but… it was at the same time. It was a strange thing, surreal, rather.  
  
Sora stepped back. Shocked. Afraid. He didn't know what to do and before he could even react, the blade from his childhood friend's finned sword pressed into his chest. The sharp edge broke the delicate flesh that covered bone. That strong large of bone, ribs, broke under the intense pressure, an inhuman pressure.  
  
Within a blink of an eye, the brown haired boy collapse to the ground. His open wound bleeding, his exposed heart throbbing to the harsh elements. With each compression, the boy last even more precious blood.  
  
If only he could turn back time, turn the time back even before that girl arrived on their island. It was a peaceful time then, but it is now gone. Nothing is left except the shadows. Like a blissful fluid, the darkness started to wash from the larger orb, wrapping around Sora.  
  
The nothing was slowly eating him, devouring his beautiful light. It was almost awe inspiring how heart wrenching this dark dance was, this killing. No matter what, the darkness could not touch the purity of the heart. The blood burned away the nightmare.  
  
Now that the light of hope was dying, the worlds had no hope of surviving. All light began to disintegrate, turning to black. The air itself seemed to even be falling apart. There was no heat, no cold. Emotions were dying, all of them. Nothing could keep them confined within shadow and alive.  
  
While this world began to break, an unseen battle inside of the silver haired boy was occurring. He was fighting his inner demons. He needed to win or all hope for anything would be lost. Even if one speck of light could be scratched together from nothing, then there would be hope for at least a calm existence of nothing.  
  
The frightened boy grabbed his head and screamed in pain, his voice mixing with his possessor's own. It hurt so much, but he was certain it was nothing compared to his dying friend's wound. He needed to hold him, if only for one last time.  
  
Riku knelt down to the covered form and brushed the heartless away and pulled Sora into his arms. "I'm sorry…" he whispered in his normal voice. His head crooked over the bleeding heary and kissed the wound, tasting the sweet blood from his younger friend. This blood, it was so pure, so innocent. The simple, red liquid banished the evil creature that had burned inside of his chest.  
  
This was it. Nothing more. There can be no more tale without any life. Darkness cannot make light, but… can darkness really be? What if eternal black was seen really as eternal light? Even, so… the worlds began to crack the end was nearing. If only there was true hope.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Geeeeeeez! I am sooooo sorry that took THAT long! I didn't mean it to! I swear. Life has been… well, whatever. Just things have happened and I don't even want to get into it all. So, yes…. R/R if you like… or don't. *shrugs* I'll just write this until it is over… even if no one cares… (and I apologize for this A/N… been rather… morbid lately, but… this isn't about me… so… carry on…) 


	7. It Happens Every Day

Disclaimer: Don't own them. What else do you want me to say? -_-;  
  
A/N: Well, I guess here is another installment. Heh. Yeah, I know the end of the last chapter was… suck. Oh, well. I've been In this mood and whatever comes out… does. And I don't feel like fixing it or… meh. Heh… yeah… maybe this one will be somewhat "decent."  
  
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Chapter 7  
  
It Happens Every Day  
  
There was a pregnant silence in the room, holding so much more emotion than either would admit. Neither wished to speak as it could shatter what precious life they had. They knew, though, they would not sleep in either's arms tonight. It wasn't what fates had planned for this pair. The night was too dark, too still. It wasn't right.  
  
"Why me?" the blonde asked his companion as he closed his eyes and rolled away from the warm embrace. He felt so chilled when he lost that contact of flesh, but with that question… he lost the right to touch the beautiful man he had just given himself to.  
  
Squall sat up slowly and looked at his beauty next to him. "What do you mean?" he asked in a tight voice. "I could not have picked any other, Cloud… I… I love you," he admitted in almost silence. He couldn't let hardly any hear this news as it could be turned against him. Even his own heart could betray him.  
  
The stoic man stood up and shook his head lightly, a blank expression resting on his features. "This wasn't meant to be. You can't love someone your heart was never meant to meet again. We lived in different places; seemingly different times… after our childhoods we weren't supposed to encounter… this is wrong… so wrong…" me murmured in a flat voice.  
  
"It isn't wrong. You just are trying to make it seem wrong. If we weren't supposed to meet again, we wouldn't have!" he commented in return, grabbing the man who was seated near him, but mentally so far away. "You don't care anymore, do you?" he asked in a shallow voice.  
  
"No… I don't. I can't be with you… it's better to part now. We must lead two very different lives and once these worlds are sealed off again… I'll never see you ever again," he told Squall as he stood slowly. His feet took him to the window, making him look on the sullen grounds.  
  
Brown hair fell slowly into the man's eyes that remained on the bed, trying to hide his tears. "Fine. Then leave; just leave. I won't care, either. If you can just shrug me off like that, then it wasn't meant to be. I guess it was stupid to vow to protect someone like you. Cold hearted…" he trailed off and bit the inside of his mouth.  
  
Cloud nodded to Squall's words and slung his blade over his shoulder. "This is good-bye. Forever," he stated in his cold and emotionless voice, covering the tears that ran down his face. He left without another word, leaving loneliness as a companion for his one-night stand.  
  
It seemed as if in that moment, darkness befell everything. What light remained seemed to dim. Those creatures that were of the night began to fall, being summoned back to their master, and if they had none, their bodies gave into nothing.  
  
Cloud tried to hold on. He knew he felt his soul being ripped from his body. He was fading to the black. Everything was being shattered around him. Buildings were fading. Light was dimming. The end of the world had been breeched and now they were all to fade to darkness. It was all to be gone. He just wanted to survive. He wanted so much to see that face before he joined the nothingness.  
  
Silver tears fell from his eyes as he started to feel himself losing his mind to black. He gasped out, trying to take in what was left of the delicate atmosphere. His strength was bleeding from his body as the darkness seeped in. His whole body seemed to be shutting down on him.  
  
A voice cracked through the night. It was his name that was called out, but it was too late. He found himself being too rapidly consumed by the darkness. It hurt so much in his chest, he just wanted to touch the man who cried out his name. Though, he knew his last touch would be that bitter one that passed between them.  
  
Just as his lover was about to take him in his arms, his mind slipped away. He was no more. His being united with the darkness and his body would decay to one against stardust… stardust that would fade into black. Everything would be of nothing in time. It was only a matter of time.  
  
Squall panted as he fell to his knees at the lifeless body of Cloud. He grabbed the man and pulled him into his arms, sobbing. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore and it all escaped. He couldn't believe it… the one he vowed to protect was gone. He, too, would join him soon, but it just wasn't soon enough.  
  
He pulled phoenix down from his pocket, knowing it wouldn't help, but desperate. He pressed it against the man's breast as hard as he could. He felt like a fool doing this, but he didn't care. He needed Cloud back. He wanted him. He was the only thing he had left in his life.  
  
The brunette placed his forehead on the other man's body and felt his own tremble in pain and anger. He was so mad at himself for letting this happen. He had vowed… He had broken it. Nothing was left but to embrace the darkness now.  
  
Pulling himself around the blonde man, he let the phoenix down fall to the ground, getting muddy and damp from one last puddle that rested there. He felt the planet tremble as it started to break up and lose its mass. He would be the last left. He knew that. He would die completely alone in this place because his heart was too bright to fade so quickly.  
  
Even as his soul was ripped from his body… he would never let go of the other body. He would hold him in an eternal nothing. They would rest without distraction or anger. It was perfect. A world of no hatred, anger, fear… but it was also a world of no joy or happiness. It was just… blank.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Sorry this chapter is short. And sorry it took forever to get out… I wanted to leave it at this because… I don't know, but I just do. The next chapter will hopefully get out faster *and* I hope for it to be longer than this one. I'm finally on summer break, so, my life is settling down a bit more and I'll have more time to write. I've just been mass busy. 


	8. The Cut Key

Disclaimer: You know the drill! Assholes and elbows! Wait… I just ripped off another thing. ;_; Aliens doesn't belong to me, either. XD So, yes… anyway! Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. I just like to be _ Evil… *grin*  
  
A/N: *bows* Sorry about the last chapter. ^.^ All will be explained in the end. Just keep reading and such? ^^;; Eh heh. I love you all~ And thanks for reviews. They make me happy and give me energy to write more! XD Just been a bit lazy for no real reason. .o; At least I jotted down some notes when the ideas were running through my head last night! Err… on to the fic!  
  
__________  
  
Chapter 8  
  
The Cut Key  
  
Silver hair washed with silver tears, mixing in a strange dance, floating on windless air. It seemed the particles were becoming negative, all trying to pull apart from one another. Nothing wanted to remain together in the pending end. "Strange…" he murmured gently to the frail figure that bled in his arms.  
  
"Hmm?" the younger boy questioned with a simple moaning noise. He hadn't much strength and wished to keep all words in until it was needed for him to express the words that boiled inside his breast. Each moment, another word was lost, another scrap of energy seeped from that wounded soul.  
  
Riku chuckled a little and sniffed back tears, shaking his head lightly. "Oh, it's just that… that you are 'sky' and are the more stable force… normally the sky is every changing, you can never rely on it… never know if it'll be rain or shine the next moment…"  
  
At that moment, Sora caught on and nodded. "And you're 'land' and supposed to be the stable one, but you are ever changing… well… the sky will always be there… it'll always be blue, even past the dark or light clouds, but the earth… it can be shattered by forces. So, it's just how you take the views of land and sky…"  
  
A sigh escaped from the uninjured figure and he shook his head lightly. A small frown formed on the lips of the boy. "But it's all my fault… it hurts… it hurts so much… this isn't what I meant by saving me. I didn't want it to come to this. I need you, Sora," he explained in a lost voice. It seemed like he could shatter at any moment.  
  
Shaking his head, the brunette reached up and ran his bloodied digits over his friend's face with a smile. "We all make mistakes… it can't be helped. It's human nature…" he commented idly, taking his death for what it was. Taking it as something beautiful and accepting it for what he had left of his life.  
  
"Is it every day, though, that people make this big of mistakes? You're dying from me…" he let the words escape from his lips in such a weak manner, not knowing what else to say or do anymore. It just seemed like whatever was in the moment was what he was to dwell on and nothing else would matter after or before that.  
  
Tender waves seemed to wash over them, calming only that area in all of time and space. "This is only minor, though, Riku…" he explained in his shallow and faintly faded voice. He coughed a little, now having bleed creeping into his lungs. It was now only a matter of time.  
  
The gentle hand removed the blood from the corners of his friend's mouth and sighed. He looked down at this life-giving liquid. To think… it all could be ended in such a simple way. "Minor? Compared to what?" he inquired with pain-stricken eyes. The tears threatened so strong.  
  
Sora laughed lightly at this, triggering a reactive coughing sensation. He heaved lightly and curled up to his friend, clinging to the stained shirt. His eyes watered from the pain that thrust through his whole body. Finally, he managed to calm enough to speak. "Let's just leave it at minor… no questions… just accept it. Life holds the hand of death… as darkness holds the hand of light," he muttered, taking Riku's hand within his own.  
  
The graceful tears now trembled down the elder's face, running down in soft and delicate patterns. He shook his head lightly and let out an almost whimpering breath. He was lot. He would be eternally lost. "I can't live without you…" he whispered in an uncertain voice, not wishing to live past a moment without his friend by his side.  
  
"Then don't…" Sora whispered as he suddenly pressed the blade of his sword into his friend's chest. Now he was not the only one wounded fatally. "You can now die with me…" he commented in a trembling voice, one of a person so close to death.  
  
A groan passed through the air, causing ripples, almost like drop hitting the water. His voice trickled from his lips, unheard by his friend's ears as pain overtook his speech. He doubled over on the younger boy, mixing blood with blood, tears with tears. He gasped and heaved, trying to say something, but unable to. It felt like the darkness was seeping into his wounds, trying to rip his soul apart for betraying them.  
  
Blood splashed on the ground as the broken forms coughed up more blood than they could afford. "Sora…" the silver haired one said with a wince of pain coursing through his body. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered, unable to keep a heavier tone. He felt so weak and lost now, losing blood so rapid on his friend.  
  
Hands snaked around each other and they embraced, the eternal brace, tears streaking down each one's cheeks, neither being able to let go or say good-bye, but unable to live so many moments together. This would be their last memory created together, a tragic dance of life, playing games with death.  
  
And suddenly, though the darkness, came a faint shimmer of light. It broke across the barren grounds, pushing the fallen creatures of the night aside. It was a figure, which began to develop. A figure cast in light, protecting it. No, protecting her. A beloved friend, one they thought they would never see again.  
  
She finally reached them, her eyes shining with tears. "Get up, won't you?" she asked in a quiet voice, holding her hands out for the two boys. She knew it was futile, though. A pain rustled through her breast as he peered on them. "Why can't you get up?" she pressed on, almost as if oblivious to everything, but the pain she wanted to push aside.  
  
Their voice never reached her, just passing through her like a blast of cold air. She shivered faintly as silver tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…" she muttered quietly as she looked away from them and then proceeded to the door. Kingdom Hearts. Her hands ran along the smooth wood and she pulled the handle, releasing a blast of light.  
  
The fallen figures stopped living only for a moment, as the white light hit them, washing away all the wounds, leaving only faint scars for a reminder of the past. History could not repeat itself this time around; it wasn't possible, unless the worlds were truly fated to end. Blood mixed with washed away tears around them, creating tainted puddles of pure life.  
  
"You stabbed me…" groaned a hurt Riku, who began to sit up, rubbing his bruised chest. He winced from the pain that still coursed through his body from the darkness seeping from his veins and the wounds he had acquired from the heartbreaking fight.  
  
Sora merely groaned in response at first to this comment as he rolled to his side to look at Riku. "You stabbed me first…" he retorted, sticking his tongue out in a playful manner. Even though he was so close to death just moments before, he could take this all in stride, making a joke of Riku's words. He didn't want this to be remembered as only pain. It was to learn.  
  
There was a light, but pained laugh that came from both of the boys. They gave a small and knowing smirk to one another, not certain what to do, but just knowing. Their curiosity got the better of them as they began to look around. What force had brought them back to life? Why? These questions were burning fresh in their minds.  
  
A wince ran over Riku's face as a dark realization washed his mind. He swallowed hard and placed his hands on both of Sora's cheeks. His deep and ocean-like eyes fixed on the other boy. "I almost lost you… because… because I was weak. I was so weak, Sora…" he murmured, watching his friend.  
  
The younger one merely shook his head. "No, you didn't. I almost lost you. We both saved each other… We fulfilled our vow to one another," he laughed a little in a lilting way. "I saved you from your ultimate darkness and you saved me from the pure light."  
  
A soft rumbling rolled over the land around them. The invisible ground that was around them seemed to be starting to break up, threatening to trap them on that small isle with the door to Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Both looked to the door and then to one another. "We have to close the door," Riku commented in a shallow voice and ran to it. He began to push on it, trying to close it back up without much luck. From the light there seemed to be bleeding darkness.  
  
The younger form ran after, helping to push the door shut. It seemed to budge, but only slightly. A sudden realization washed over the two and they looked at one another. The silence almost seemed bitter and confused. The hero could never be happy.  
  
"Take care of her, but don't you dare forget me," said the elder of the two. He grabbed the back of his friend's head and gave him a long kiss, a kiss that spanned over all of time and yet could only last but a few seconds.  
  
He pushed his friend away and ran to the door, slipping inside. With this offering, the doors began to close, shutting the form into its darkening lair. He didn't move a single inch, just watching out from the place he was trapped in.  
  
As the doors closed, Sora felt as if his life was shattering. His body trembled softly as he slid to the ground. He felt as if we were broken, but he knew he didn't have long to really mourn. "I will look for you…" he whispered against the stale air around him.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Ugh! This took… FOREVER! Dear lord… I'm sorry. _ There have just been so many… issues in my life. Here is the next chapter, though. I will write at least one more chapter to explain the whole Cloud and Squall thing… though that might be it. I don't know. Might write the whole journey to find Riku, but me is uncertain. 


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